All tourist spots to be free of tobacco

Hyderabad: The tourism department has initiated a rule which states that citizens cannot chew tobacco, spit or smoke in places of tourist interest. Anyone found violating the norm would be fined with a challan of Rs 200.

The tourism department has started an initiative to make tourist places free of tobacco and for this reason awareness will be created among the people. Posters will also be put up stating that these places were no tobacco and no smoking zones.

Tourist hotspots like parks, gardens, heritage monuments, museums, libraries and lake areas will have posters stating that these were no tobacco zones and if citizens were found violating the rule they would be fined, said officials.

The order was issued on January 22 to all the tourism departments. The department has to now engage health officials for awareness in these zones and then the implementation in terms of fines would be carried out.

Secretary of the Indian Dental Association, Dr A. Srikanth, explained, “We are going to help the tourism department in creating awareness among the public. The first step is to make people aware that tourist places are now no-smoking zones in Hyderabad for which posters and also plays will be put up. The events which are organised in tourist hubs will also carry this message.”

The part of challans on the usage of tobacco will involve health officials in GHMC limits and also voluntary organisations would assist them.

But the problem seen in the earlier no-smoking in public areas campaign was that people were not willing to pay the fine. The state health department had to engage the police to fine the miscreants in the no-smoking zones.

Tourism secretary Burra Venkatesham said that they would first create awareness and only then fine the people.

He said that a major campaign would be carried out to make people aware that tourist spots in the Telangana State were to be kept tobacco free.