Violators may lose shop licences

Violators may lose shop licences
DH News Service, Bangalore:
To add teeth and meaning to the smoking ban, the State Anti-Tobacco Cell (SATC) is now toying with a new idea: Empower the urban local bodies to withdraw licences of shops and establishments that do not comply with the ban.

On Saturday, SATC and the Department of Health and Family Welfare presented this proposal, which if implemented, will require the establishments to strictly comply with the ban to get fresh permit or renewal of old one.

Several other agencies, including KSRTC, BMTC and BBMP, put on their thinking caps to find ways to effectively implement the smoking ban. The big question was about identifying the authorised people who could issue challans imposing a fine of Rs 200 on violators, as specified under the Act.

BMTC and KSRTC have designated their conductors and drivers, apart from their gazetted officers, to issue challans on the ban violators within their jurisdiction.

Officers list
According to Nodal Officer for SATC, Dr Prakash, each department has identified a list of its officers authorised to impose fines in accordance with the Act.

Challans will be printed by the individual department and a record of the funds collected by way of fines will be maintained by each department, he added.

At the meeting, the clear definition of what constitutes a public place under the Act was also explained to the department representatives.

The Act also insists on recruiting NGOs for monitoring and implementing the scheme. For this purpose, in the initial phase, NGOs in Bangalore and Gulbarga districts will be identified after expressions of interest.

Bangalore and Gulbarga will also host the District Monitoring Cells for proper implementation of the Act.

In the days to come, the public could expect more no-smoking signboards, awareness programmes in educational institutions and other places, and media advertisements about the ban.

Also in the pipeline is another ban circular to all departments, since some of them had complained they were yet to get a notification. Another meeting scheduled in a fortnight’s time would make the ban modalities clearer.