HM Al Imran Khan :
The government has signed on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2003 and accordingly formulated Smoking and Tobacco Products Usages (Control) Act in 2005.
To meet the growing needs of the citizens and the urge to control the use of tobacco inside the country, the government has consequently amended the law in 2013.
The law of 2005 is considered as “An Act for framing laws to regulate the production, usage, sale-purchase and advertisement of smoking and tobacco products.”
Following the law, ‘Public Transport’ means motor car, bus, train, trum, ship, launch, all kinds of mechanised public transport, aircraft and any other transport determined or declared by the Government by notification in the official gazette. Based on the law, such transportation modes should remain smoking-free.
But in reality, the rate of smoking in public transports has a sudden increase recently and has become intolerable to some extent.
The drivers and their associates smoke cigarettes desperately during the driving which cause trouble for the passengers on board. This is a common scenario in the capital’s mass transports.
Following the amended tobacco control law, smoking is prohibited in all forms of public places and public transports. The ban has been imposed considering the public health.
Unfortunately, the law is not followed at all in most of the cases. Smoking in public transports has become a common phenomenon in the current days.
Sometimes, the passengers are also seen boarding with burning cigarettes on their hands which is also uncomfortable for the non-smoking passengers. This is mostly done either by the youths or the middle-aged citizens who appear to be well groomed and educated. When they are forbidden to smoke during the ride, they ignore the requests.
The government is against using tobacco in public places while the law violators are aggressive in their attitude, and thus the amended tobacco control law is being ignored everywhere. A section of people try to discourage the drivers and their associates to refrain from smoking but they cannot do so as the law enforcers are unavailable during that specific moment to implement the law on the violators. Besides, when the passengers request the drivers and associates to stop smoking, they lock into altercations with the protesting passengers and sometimes the scenarios turn worst. At times even the protesting passengers are physically harassed by the drivers and their associates.
At times mobile court drives are held in different parts of the capital and across the country as well but those drives cannot bring a desired outcome for the law.
The smoker drivers may stop smoking or take a break for moments and continue again when the mobile court drive is over.
The Minister for Road Transport and Bridges, Obaidul Quader, recently at an anti-tobacco programme, has said that he would imply a ban on smoking in transport sector. His determinations are adorable and wish he would be successful in stopping smoking in public transports for the betterment of the passengers.
The government has signed on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2003 and accordingly formulated Smoking and Tobacco Products Usages (Control) Act in 2005.
To meet the growing needs of the citizens and the urge to control the use of tobacco inside the country, the government has consequently amended the law in 2013.
The law of 2005 is considered as “An Act for framing laws to regulate the production, usage, sale-purchase and advertisement of smoking and tobacco products.”
Following the law, ‘Public Transport’ means motor car, bus, train, trum, ship, launch, all kinds of mechanised public transport, aircraft and any other transport determined or declared by the Government by notification in the official gazette. Based on the law, such transportation modes should remain smoking-free.
But in reality, the rate of smoking in public transports has a sudden increase recently and has become intolerable to some extent.
The drivers and their associates smoke cigarettes desperately during the driving which cause trouble for the passengers on board. This is a common scenario in the capital’s mass transports.
Following the amended tobacco control law, smoking is prohibited in all forms of public places and public transports. The ban has been imposed considering the public health.
Unfortunately, the law is not followed at all in most of the cases. Smoking in public transports has become a common phenomenon in the current days.
Sometimes, the passengers are also seen boarding with burning cigarettes on their hands which is also uncomfortable for the non-smoking passengers. This is mostly done either by the youths or the middle-aged citizens who appear to be well groomed and educated. When they are forbidden to smoke during the ride, they ignore the requests.
The government is against using tobacco in public places while the law violators are aggressive in their attitude, and thus the amended tobacco control law is being ignored everywhere. A section of people try to discourage the drivers and their associates to refrain from smoking but they cannot do so as the law enforcers are unavailable during that specific moment to implement the law on the violators. Besides, when the passengers request the drivers and associates to stop smoking, they lock into altercations with the protesting passengers and sometimes the scenarios turn worst. At times even the protesting passengers are physically harassed by the drivers and their associates.
At times mobile court drives are held in different parts of the capital and across the country as well but those drives cannot bring a desired outcome for the law.
The smoker drivers may stop smoking or take a break for moments and continue again when the mobile court drive is over.
The Minister for Road Transport and Bridges, Obaidul Quader, recently at an anti-tobacco programme, has said that he would imply a ban on smoking in transport sector. His determinations are adorable and wish he would be successful in stopping smoking in public transports for the betterment of the passengers.
(H M Al Imran Khan is an anti-tobacco researcher and activist)
