Shimla has become the second smoke free city in entire North India after the city beautiful, Chandigarh. It will soon become a hundred percent smoke-free town in the North India. This fact was revealed in the media workshop on ‘Smoke Free Shimla” and cigarettes and other tobacco product prevention act (COTPA) 2003. The Voluntary Health Association of India, an NGO, conducted a survey and found 97% of public places as totally smoke-free and as many as 3211 violators were challaned throughout the state.
Intensive awareness campaigns regarding abuses and ill effects of Tobacco have been conducted in 52 Senior Secondary and High Schools in Shimla according to Shri Narender Sharma, Executive Director, Himachal Pradesh Voluntary Health Association. According to him there is a great need to implement the section 6 of COTPA, which pertains to the banning of sale of tobacco related products within the 100 yards from educational institutions. As per the survey 94% public places in Shimla were found free from cigarette butts or other tobacco litters.
"As per the surveys about 95 percent citizens of Shimla agreed that smoking was harmful and a cause for economic hardship for themselves and their families and 53 percent smokers want to quit this bad habit," Dr. Gopal Chauhan, State Nodal Officer, Tobacco Control said. He said that Himachal Pradesh would soon be making the
policy to ban Gutka and other tobacco related products and even the transport department has issued the notification for authorising the official incharge to challan the person violating COTPA.
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