Butt ban choked in confusion

Starting Thursday, smokers will have to go out on the streets for a forbidden puff. Or so the law says. Introducing a ban is one thing; implementing it is another. The stumbling block is the confusion over who will enforce the ban.

It8217;s come into effect. Everyone wants it, welcomes it. Implement it? Each agency points at the other

Starting Thursday, smokers will have to go out on the streets for a forbidden puff. Or so the law says. Introducing a ban is one thing; implementing it is another. The stumbling block is the confusion over who will enforce the ban.

The Pune Municipal Corporation PMC is quick to point out that the 8220;basic, nodal enforcing agency8221; is the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA, in turn, cites lack of clarity in the rules and says the police have a key role to play.

The police, for their part, say they have too much on their hands to spare time or men for ban enforcement. See adjoining story

The ruling does list some of the agencies it wants to ensure that smoking is banned. Among these are the police and NGOs.

Municipal authorities appear satisfied if no one smokes at civic hospitals. 8220;Our hospitals already have no-smoking zones8230; The FDA is the basic nodal agency to implement the ban,8221; PMC chief medical officer Dr P S Dhaigude says.

FDA joint commissioner Prahlad Apshingekar says, 8220;The government is not very clear on the number of monitoring authorities. Police too have an important role. We will start imposing fines once we get a copy of the notification.8221;

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Campaigners for the ban welcomed it, though not all were sure that it would work. The city unit of the Indian Medical Association IMA said not enough places have been made smoking-free. 8220;The notification should have included more places. I don8217;t feel it will have much of an impact,8221; says Dr Avinash Bhondwe, president of the unit.

Dr Kalyan Gangwal, crusading for a tobacco ban, cites history: 8220;The government banned gutkha, too, but it is still available. The smoking ban is welcome but it should be followed up with strict implementation.8221;

The notification bans smoking in any building, private or public. There can no longer be designated smoking rooms at companies, including those in the IT sector. The ban will be in force also in small cafes, restaurants, pubs and discotheques. At hotels with accommodation for 30 or more, there must be a separate enclosure for smokers and special ventilation arrangements.

PASSING THE BUCK
Pune Municipal
Corporation: Passes on the buck to Food and Drug Administration, says it is the nodal agency for enforcing the ban

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Food and Drug
Administration: Says government not clear on number of monitoring authorities, says police have key role

Pune Police: Say they can issue notifications but they have neither the manpower nor the time to take up the job full-time, with Games round the corner