Despite the prohibition on smoking in public places, factors like lack of public awareness and an inactive administration have allowed the blatant violation of this prohibition in the provisional state capital. People smoking at bus stands, the bazaar, on the premise of government buildings and public places near educational institutions and other sites are still a common sight in the city. While a considerable proportion of the citizens feel inconvenienced by smoking in public, the continued apathy of smokers and inaction of the authorities perpetuates the violation of the smoking ban.
local resident Yamini Rawat said, “This is very common at bus stands. In such places, it is common to have some people totally ignorant of or apathetic to the ban on smoking in public places. No matter what others standing nearby feel while suffering passive smoke as even children in the proximity fail to deter such people from smoking. The authorities need to strictly enforce the ban on smoking in public places and penalise the people found violating the ban to discourage them from becoming habitual violators of the prohibition,” she opined.
Student Archit Khankriyal said, “Being a non-smoker I don’t see any good in this habit. I know that not everyone can be forced to stop smoking but the provisions banning it in certain places should be enforced strictly. The smokers also need to be sensitive to others around them and not make others suffer passive smoke.”
Another local Nikita Misra said, "Smoking in public places is a very bad thing and a nuisance. There should be smoke rooms or sites designated for smoking so that the smokers can use such sites instead of forcing others to become passive smokers in public places.’’
The senior municipal health officer Dr Kailash Gunjyal said “Firstly, smoking is injurious to health as it causes cancer and many other diseases. Smoking in public places is a major issue as the smoker suffers detrimental effects of active smoking while others suffer the adverse effects of passive smoke on health. A person found smoking in a public place is liable to be fined Rs 200. However, the penalty alone is not effective to prevent smoking in public for which public awareness is also he added.