DC instructs health dept to ensure 100 yards area around educational institutions as tobacco free
Bahadurjeet Singh /Rupnagar
To further tighten the noose around the neck of offenders who are violating the anti tobacco law, Rupnagar deputy commissioner Dr Preeti Yadav on Tuesday issued instructions to the health department . to ensure 100 yards area around the educational institutions as tobacco free.
While presiding over the meeting of District Level Tobacco Control Committee here, she said that the area within 100 yards of schools and colleges has been declared as Tobacco Free Zone. Therefore, the health department should ensure strict implementation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act,(COTPA) 2003 and also make the students of educational institutions aware about this and motivate them to avoid the use of tobacco.
Deputy Commissioner said that the health department should take up the tobacco control programme on priority basis and design a road map to launch a special campaign to take action against those who use tobacco in public places.
DC instructs health dept to ensure 100 yards area around educational institutions as tobacco free. She said that implementation of COTPA ,2003 should be ensured in joint operation with police and social organizations while youth should be involved in this campaign as much as possible.
Rupnagar civil surgeon, Dr. Parminder Kumar, said that a ‘Tobacco Control Centre’ had been set up at the government hospital to provide counseling as well as treatment to prevent tobacco use..
Dr. Parminder Kumar further said that Punjab was leading state in banning e-cigarettes and hookah bars and declaring college / university hostels as tobacco free and to achieve this motive, continuous efforts are being made to eradicate tobacco so that youth and children could be kept away from use of tobacco.
About COTPA 2003
The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 or COTPA, 2003 is an Act of Parliament of India enacted in 2003 to prohibit advertisement of, and to provide for the regulation of trade and commerce in, and production, supply and distribution of cigarettes and other tobacco products in India.
May 17,2022
