CUTTACK: IPL is going to set the ball rolling for declaration of Cuttack district as ‘Smoke Free’, entailing total compliance with the tobacco control laws and strict enforcement of ban on smoking at public places.As the teams Deccan Chargers and Pune Warriors get ready to battle it out on the Barabati Stadium pitch, the spectators will be the subject of a massive anti-tobacco exercise undertaken by the Government, the organisers, police and social organisations. Every person entering the stadium would be frisked for tobacco products and those found would be seized.All the promotions and advertisements featuring sponsors in the Stadium will prominently display signages and messages on anti-smoking. The gates, galleries, pavilions and other spectator boxes will prohibit use of tobacco.Awareness generation activities like distributing handouts and leaflets would be done at the gates among the spectators.Deputy Commissioner of Police Praveen Kumar said the police would extend all support to make the awareness campaign a success at Cuttack, while OCA secretary Ashirbad Behera offered to take responsibility of ensuring smoke-free stadium during all the matches.The campaign and interventions would be carried forward to ensure Cuttack district, which along with Khurda has been included under NTCP, achieves the smoke-free status soon. Jagatsinghpur is the only district of the State to have been declared smoke free.To give a fillip to the activities, the State Health and Family Welfare Department has issued instructions to the Cuttack Collector to activate the NTCP Cell and tobacco control task force for effective implementation of the laws.Circulars should be issued to all Government and private workplaces along with public facilities to comply with the Cigarette and other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003.Signages on ‘no smoking’ with details of authorised persons would have to be displayed prominently at all Government, private offices, facilities and public places.The initiatives would be undertaken with technical support from VHAI which had played a pivotal role in Jagatsinghpur district.“The drive in Cuttack district will go a long way in setting an example in public place smoking ban in the State and strengthening the NTCP,” Sr Manager VHAI-Aparajita Itishree Kanungo said.
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