Tobacco Act goes up in smoke

Hyderabad: Though the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COPTA) Section (4) clearly states that there should be no sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of any educational institution or a hospital, a survey conducted by Deccan Chronicle has revealed that the regulation is being blatantly violated.

Over 60 per cent of surveyed schools, colleges and medical institutions had establishments selling tobacco products within 100 yards, with some even operating just opposite or next to the entrance or exit gate of the institution.

There are four paan shops (Classics, Samreen, Sangeetha and an unnamed shop) right opposite St Ann’s High School, SD Road Secunderabad.

The wall of Keys High School and Deewan Bahadur Padma Rao Mudaliar College for Women gives space to a mini cigarette stall operating illegally without a trade licence.

Every lane and by-lane leading to St Mary’s School, Degree and Pharmacy College, St. Francis School and Junior College, Sishya School and St. Patrick School, Secunderabad have shops selling tobacco. In fact, the lane heading to St. Francis College has five tobacco stalls.

One of Hyderabad’s oldest, Stanley School and College for Women, Nampally, has four shops within 100 metres. Slate the School in Abids is extremely near the century-old Bombay Bakery that has a pan shop in front which is a meeting spot for smokers.

Two pan shops welcome students and visitors of St Ann’s Degree College, Mehdipatnam.

The situation is the same with Glendale and Chinmaya Vidyalaya in Begumpet, Bhavan’s Sainikpuri and Secunderabad Public School, Marredpally.

The compound wall of the English and Foreign Language University boasts a mini stall which is on the fringes of OU.

Chethana Somnath, a  resident of Begumpet said that in the past few years, a few roadside stalls had come up selling tea and fast food near Glendale, Begumpet beside Swapna Nursing Home.

However, in the last few months, the number of these vendors have gone up. They also sell cigarettes and gutka, which is banned.

Locals also complain that a lot of young working women staying in nearby hostels and apartments feel insecure while passing these areas as youngsters smoke in public.

“Well-known schools and colleges in the city with great student strength are surrounded by an unhealthy environment. Even the rule of not smoking in public is largely ignored; these stall have no trade licences as well,” said Dr Sarah Sharma, a parent. 

Next: Hospitals not immune to cigarettes

Hospitals not immune to cigarettes

Hyderabad: Though the law stipulates that if a vendor is found selling tobacco products near schools and hospitals, he is liable to be fined or have his trade licence cancelled, the GHMC, district medical health officer, police or the state tobacco control department do not know how many such stalls exist.

Most government and private hospitals have tobacco stalls nearby.

The lane that leads to Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills, has many vendors selling cigarettes, gutka, tea and fast foods.

There is a series of pan shops opposite Yashoda hospital. A mini stall faces the Apollo, Secunderabad.

The Niloufer Children’s Hospital and MNJ Institute for Cancer, Red Hills, has a stall every couple of metres. The Gandhi, Osmania and Koti Maternity Hospital are also full of such shops.

“In fact, at all government hospitals, one can find cigarettes being sold openly, especially in the parking areas. Tea, cigarettes and samosa have become a very famous combination and these stalls with no trade licence offer the combo,” said Preetham Kumar, a resident of Red Hills.

Hyderabad district medical officer Dr K. Narendrudu said, “Previously, the state tobacco control cell, that operated only from Hyderabad and Guntur districts, was functioning independently from the state administration; However, 20 days ago, the Hyderabad tobacco control unit has been ordered to work with the district medical officials.”