Enforcing smoking ban in Hyderabad tough: Officials

Hyderabad: Enforcing strict rules against public smoking in the city is tougher than the neighboring districts, said officials from the national tobacco control team (NTCT). They said selling cigarettes loose and providing lighters and match boxes to customers is also against the law and those doing so should be booked by the police.

The public has been complaining about the menace of public smoking to the police on social media platforms.

Netizens on Twitter tagged areas like Star cafe at PV Narasimha Rao marg, Nagarjuna circle, Karbala maidan and asked police to take action.

The drive against public smoking is getting good response in districts, said Anusha Kasam, a NTCT program officer.

“We were unable to focus on public smoking in Hyderabad and we do not have a separate office for the city. However, we do conduct occasional awareness programs,” she said.

“As a first step, we should amend and enforce the cigarette and other tobacco products Act 2003 strictly. We need to have warning display boards outside restaurants and theatres,” said Divya Rao, a city-based activist.

Meanwhile, in a report by national family health survey 5 (2019-21), 38 per cent men and nine per cent women above 15 years of age use tobacco products. The report also shows that only one per cent of women drink alcohol, compared to 19 per cent of men.

The NFHS-5 survey was conducted in an approximate 6.37 lakh sample households across 707 districts in 28 states and eight Union Territories. The use of tobacco is higher in rural areas, with 43 per cent men and 11 per cent women compared to 29 per cent men and six per cent women in urban areas.