A campaign that clicked for Chandigarh

[sidmis]

A campaign that clicked for Chandigarh
as reported in Times of India, 28 Sep 2008,TNN

Mumbai: For those who are cynical about whether the smoking ban in public places is going to work in Mumbai, all they have to do is take a leaf out of the Chandigarh experience. The first city to turn smoke-free , Chandigarh's battle against smoking in public places hinged solely on an enterprising activist's dream.

Chandigarh was officially declared smoke-free in 2007 but it took four years of behind-the-scene action to make it possible, said Hemant Goswami of Burning Brain Society-a voluntary organisation largely credited with making the ban work there. Reeling off their experience, Goswami pointed out that they received NIL grants, NIL government support and spent lesser than Rs 5 lakh but yet turned the city smoke-free in four years.

"Implementing and enforcing a law does not require any money, only initiative,'' Goswami said at a recent regional advocacy workshop on tobacco control.

Their magic formula was ensuring a constant flow of complaints under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act-2003 to keep the authorities on their toes.

"We flooded government offices and bodies with RTI (Right To Information ) applications. We would simply ask whether their offices had nosmoking boards, where such boards were put up and who was the official responsible for such boards,'' said Goswami. Within a year, a total of 1,800 warning boards came up, the first step that worked as a deterrent from lighting up on a railway platform or taking a smoke break in a public office corridor.

On several occasions, the group also moved the high court by filing public interest litigations. The government backing at that time was negligible, said Goswami, pointing out that the a national steering committee set up nearly two years ago hadn't taken any credible action . "One meeting was held four months back, that too after a civil writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court,'' he said.

What worked for Chandigarh was the involvement of the general public and the department of tourism. The tourism body smelt an opportunity and started promoting Chandigarh as a smoke-free city, a campaign that clicked.

THE PENALTY
Those caught smoking in public places will be fined Rs 200. But health minister A Ramadoss has said the amount will be increased to Rs 1,000 in the future. Organisations which allow employees to smoke in their premises will have shell out Rs 500 which is likely to be increased to 5,000.

RULES FOR A SMOKING AREA
Smoking space means a separately ventilated smoking room.
It should be physically separated from other areas (have four closed and full walls) and an entrance with doors that automatically close.
Such smoking areas shall not be established at the entrance or exit of hotels, restaurants or airports and shall be distinctively marked as smoking areas. They shall be established in areas that need not be accessed by the public.

These areas must have a ventilation system that ensures that air is discharged directly outside and not recirculated in nonsmoking areas.
No other services can be provided in designated smoking areas.
(Source: The Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules, 2008)

A campaign that clicked for Chandigarh -Mumbai-Cities-The Times of India

[taurus]

That is a novel and refreshing success story. It is one more proof for the power of RTI.