8216;I8217;ll continue to smoke where and how I want8217;

A ban on smoking at public places that becomes effective on October 2 has caused little worry among smokers. 8220;No, I am not at all worried with this ban,8221; says Rahul, a moderate smoker.

8220;I will continue to smoke where and how I want. The police is not able to control the terrorists, so I don8217;t expect them to come and fine us,8221; asserts Viplav, who is not thinking of giving up smoking.

8220;The government cannot ban smoking because it8217;s the largest revenue generator for them,8221; he adds.

According to the Tobacco Institute of India TII statistics, cigarettes contribute 85 per cent to the total excise revenues collected from the tobacco industry, amounting to Rs 8,500 crore.

A group of office-goers echo similar sentiments about the ban.

However, Kiran Hukku, Director Cancer Patients Aid Association, an NGO says, 8220;It is not possible to implement any law in the country successfully as Indians feel breaking rules is their primary duty. They don8217;t want to see the positive side of it.8221;

8220;With the management being made responsible if smoking is done within office premises, I don8217;t think my office will anymore allow me to smoke,8221; says Pramod who works in a call centre in the capital.

8220;But I think my efficiency will also come down, being a call-center employee working at night is really tedious. So for me smoking is the recharge coupon that keeps me going. But now I think most of the time I8217;ll feel sleepy while working,8221; he adds.

Meanwhile, Psychiatrist Jitendra Nagpal says, 8220;There is no scientific evidence available to show that smoking increases efficiency. This is all excuses given by people who are reluctant to change.8221;

Nagpal, who is senior consultant at Vimhans, an institute of mental health here says, 8220;This is a welcome move by government because above all we must understand that smoking causes a high rate of morbidity and mortality, and self-regulation is the only way to fight out of it.8221;

Smokers across the country share similar woes. 8220;The day I heard that smoking will be banned in office I have been trying to quit, but was not able to concentrate on my work and have been committing mistakes,8221; says Amit, who is employed at a private bank.

Moreover, the residents in the capital feel that the time-period for the ban on smoking is too short to give up a habit that has been a part and parcel of their lives for long.

8220;How can the government decide a day for us and say you can8217;t smoke anymore. It8217;s difficult to give-up,8221; says Ragini, who lives in the national capital.

But all is not gloomy with employees coming up with innovative ideas to tackle the pressure.

8220;When the government will ban smoking in offices, I have decided to moot a idea of a smoking-break in my office on the terms of a lunch break,8221; says Arjun Mehta who works for an IT major.

8220;For me smoking is as important as food, I8217;ll prefer not to eat food, but make sure I smoke,8221; he adds. But many also question the ban. 8220;I think road is the biggest public place, by not banning smoking on it, the government has failed to justify its intent,8221; says Aruna who lives in Karol Bagh, a Central Delhi locality.

Similar concerns are raised by many. 8220;When we smoke in office or hotels there8217;s a separate place for us and thus passive smokers are at minimum risk, but at home and on roads the risk of non-smokers being affected is more,8221; says Paul who resides in Mayur Vihar.

8220;The government should have instead let the separate smoking zones be in place and ban it on roads,8221; he adds.