The UT administration has decided to ban the sale of loose cigarettes and loose tobacco products in Chandigarh.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the Chandigarh Tobacco Control Cell chaired by Anurag Agarwal, home-cum-health secretary.
Municipal commissioner Vivek Pratap Singh, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Jagbir Singh, nodal officer, and Hemant Goswami, chairperson, burning brain society, Chandigarh, were also present during the meeting.
The meeting was held to lay emphasis on effective enforcement, sensitisation of enforcers and public.
The health department and police will be organising a sensitisation meet for staff members at the level of sub-inspectors and enforcement inspectors of the MC in a few days.
During the meeting, Hemant Goswami raised the issue of smoking areas in hotels and restaurants.
It was also decided that food inspectors would be directed to check hotels and restaurants as to know whether they were adhering to the prescribed norms or not.
The home secretary also requested the MC commissioner to check the possibility of licenses for tobacco shops and vendors under the MC Act.
Any person can register a complain of the violation of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 - such as smoking at public places, tobacco shops and sellers within 100 yards of schools and educational institutions - on the telephone number 100.
{{/usCountry}}Any person can register a complain of the violation of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 - such as smoking at public places, tobacco shops and sellers within 100 yards of schools and educational institutions - on the telephone number 100.
{{/usCountry}}The deputy commissioner was also requested to take necessary steps to stop the violations in and around 'ahatas'.
It was also proposed during the meet that special public prosecutors should be appointed for specific cases filed in the court regarding violations of Sections 5 and 7 of the COTPA, and that the state transport authority should ensure that all public vehicles carry "no smoking"signage.