Over the last couple of years various countries around the world have made efforts to make their cities smoke free and educate people on the harmful effects of tobacco. The rationale behind smoke ban is to protect people from various illnesses like respiratory and heart disorders, cancer and others caused by active as well as passive smoking. Laws came in place for the same in order to improve overall productivity of people as well as to reduce the cost of health care.

With the ban coming up in the UK, Indian offices are expected to have the ban too in place soon. Certain cities like Chandigarh have already made a head start in this front and it has officially been declared as India’s first smoke-free city. Smoking has been banned at all public places in Chandigarh including hotels, restaurants, bus stands etc. 764 people were fined in the last week for violating the ban. The violators were not just the people throwing cigarette butts here and there but also the roadside vendors. But the UT administration aims to create awareness amongst people as well as designate areas where smoking could be permitted.

Banners are all over the city making the announcement that Chandigarh is now a smoke- free city. Police have been keeping vigil at various public places to make people aware of the new rules. Mr. Krishan Mohan, the chairperson of the Chandigarh Tobacco Control Cell says that “It is a law, and an environment and health-friendly one, so we don’t expect to meet up with much resistance or too many violations.”