City Desk :
Speakers at a webinar urged that the government lifts the provisions of keeping designated smoking area (DSA) in restaurants and hotels to save people from being victim of second hand smoking.
They also urged the government to amend Tobacco Control Act to make tourist areas, including restaurants smoke-free. Aviation and Tourism Journalists Forum of Bangladesh (ATJFB) and Dhaka Ahsania Mission on Tuesday organized the virtual view exchange meeting titled ‘Role of media in building a tobacco free Bangladesh 2040’. Mokhlesur Rahman, Assistant Director, Health Sector, Dhaka Ahsania Mission in his speech said that 63 countries, including Canada, Spain and Nepal, have laws prohibiting any kind of smoking including keeping the provision DSA in public places.
“However, according to the law of our country, DSA can be keep in public places including in train, launch, airport and restaurant,” he added.
He said Tobacco Control Act should be amended to prohibit smoking in all types of public places and to ban the use of any type of tobacco, including smoking.
Iqbal Masood, Director of the Health and Wash Sector at the Dhaka Ahsania Mission, said that since smoke cannot be controlled, hotel and restaurants needed to be 100 percent smoke-free. Abdus Salam Mia, grants manager, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Bangladesh, said if smoking can be banned in aircraft, then why not smoking can be banned in other public transports as well. Sharaf Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, CEO, Savar Municipality and Sarkar Shams Bin Sharif, Communications Officer, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Bangladesh, among others, also spoke. Nadira Kiron, President, ATJFB presided over the programme while Tanzim Anwar, General Secretary, ATJFB conducted the meeting.
Speakers at a webinar urged that the government lifts the provisions of keeping designated smoking area (DSA) in restaurants and hotels to save people from being victim of second hand smoking.
They also urged the government to amend Tobacco Control Act to make tourist areas, including restaurants smoke-free. Aviation and Tourism Journalists Forum of Bangladesh (ATJFB) and Dhaka Ahsania Mission on Tuesday organized the virtual view exchange meeting titled ‘Role of media in building a tobacco free Bangladesh 2040’. Mokhlesur Rahman, Assistant Director, Health Sector, Dhaka Ahsania Mission in his speech said that 63 countries, including Canada, Spain and Nepal, have laws prohibiting any kind of smoking including keeping the provision DSA in public places.
“However, according to the law of our country, DSA can be keep in public places including in train, launch, airport and restaurant,” he added.
He said Tobacco Control Act should be amended to prohibit smoking in all types of public places and to ban the use of any type of tobacco, including smoking.
Iqbal Masood, Director of the Health and Wash Sector at the Dhaka Ahsania Mission, said that since smoke cannot be controlled, hotel and restaurants needed to be 100 percent smoke-free. Abdus Salam Mia, grants manager, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Bangladesh, said if smoking can be banned in aircraft, then why not smoking can be banned in other public transports as well. Sharaf Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, CEO, Savar Municipality and Sarkar Shams Bin Sharif, Communications Officer, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Bangladesh, among others, also spoke. Nadira Kiron, President, ATJFB presided over the programme while Tanzim Anwar, General Secretary, ATJFB conducted the meeting.
