No smirking

No smirking
By: Team MID-DAY
Date: 2008-10-03

Bangalore:

Cops didn't mind one bit

So what happened on the first day of the ban on smoking yesterday?

MiD DAY reporters went to three prominent locations and lit up, and not a single policeman questioned them.

Vidhana Soudha, 5 pm

>>The MiD DAY team goes to the Vidhana Soudha, where Karnataka's legislators make laws, to check out the scene.
>>It is a holiday for Gandhi Jayanti and not many policemen are on duty.
>>Umesh and Sumana walk up to the police van stationed near the Ambedkar statue. They light up in the presence of the policemen.
>>The violators can be seen from any corner of Vidhana Soudha, but the dozen policemen sitting inside are unconcerned.
>>Umesh and Sumana try to attract the policemen's attention, but no one looks in their direction.
>>MiD DAY finding: Policemen at Vidhana Soudha aren't concerned about the ban.

Police commissioner's office , 3 pm

>>Umesh walks up to the police commissioner's office on Infantry Road.
>>The security is tight. Four policemen stand guard with rifles.
>>Umesh lights up right in front of the policemen, holding a cigarette pack in his hand.
>>Not a single policeman notices.
>>Taken aback, Umesh pushes the test further, and asks one of the policeman to guide him to an address.
>>The policeman is courteous and gives detailed instructions, but doesn't utter a word about ban.
>>MiD DAY finding: No one at the police commissioner's office is aware of the ban!

TGIF, 7.30 pm

>>The team walks into a restaurant on Airport Road.
>>TGIF has 'no smoking' stickers on all walls.
>>Umesh lights up and takes several puffs. After four minutes a waiter tells him the restaurant is following the ban.
>>The waiter explains the law in some detail. Umesh hands over the stub to the waiter.
>>MiD DAY finding: Restaurants and cafes are enforcing the ban without waiting for an official notification.

Smoke rings!

>>Not a single smoker was fined on Day 1 of the total ban on smoking in public.
>>Police are not clear what the ban means, but say it will be enforced from today.
>>Police commissioner Shankar Bidari will come out with detailed guidelines the moment he receives a notification from the state government.
>>Well-known writers U R Ananthamurthy and Girish Karnad support the ban, and reportedly advised friends that it was harmful to be smoking in public places. Ananthamurthy is a smoker.

Team MiD DAY featured reporters E S Bhanuprakash and Sumana Jayanth, photographer Ramesh H S, and volunteer Umesh Yadav)