E-Paper
EC declares polling booths of state ‘no tobacco’ zone for Jharkhand Assembly Elections
Chief Election Officer (ECO) Vinay Kumar Choubey has in this regard directed returning officer-cum-deputy commissioner of all 24 districts to declare all polling booths of the assembly election ‘no tobacco’ zone for Jharkhand Assembly elections.
The State Election Commission (SEC) has declared all polling booths of the assembly election ‘no tobacco products’ zone.
Chief Election Officer (ECO) Vinay Kumar Choubey has in this regard directed returning officer-cum-deputy commissioner of all 24 districts to declare all polling booths of the assembly election ‘no tobacco’ zone and ensure strict ban on use of tobacco products such like cigarette, bidi, khaini, gutkha, pan mashala, zarda and others in the area.
“Since the Jharkhand government has declared all campus of government offices, educational institutions tobacco-free area from August 16, in wake of this step, all polling booths of Jharkhand assembly too should be declared ‘no tobacco’ zone,” he said in his directive to district ROs.
After declaration of ‘no tobacco’ zone, a violator would be fined under Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2006.
The state election commission has issued notification on request of the state health department. Health secretary Dr Nitin Madan Kulkarni had on November 6 shot off a letter to the CEO requesting him to declare booths in the interest of public health awareness campaign. Prevalence rate of tobacco users in state is at alarming level. As per central government health department reports, every year 10 to 12 lakh people die in the country from using different products of tobacco.
In Jharkhand, 38.9% people consume different tobacco products which is higher than national average 28.6%. The state health department has planned to bring down the user rate to national level by 2024. This is first time EC has declared state assembly polling booths ‘no tobacco’ zone. But earlier this year, it was introduced during the Lok Sabha polls in April and May.
Besides declaring ‘no tobacco’ zone, Choubey has also directed district nodal officer of National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) and district tobacco control cell to put up signage of no tobacco at each polling booth and make voters aware about bad impact of using tobacco products.
“Since polling booth is a public place, it was necessary to declare it no tobacco zone. A ban would help in making people aware of the bad impact of tobacco products,” said Dr RL Pathak, state nodal officer of NTCP.
