The Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha premise was declared as tobacco free area by Speaker Prem Chand Agarwal on the occasion of ‘World no tobacco day’ on Wednesday. To mark the occasion a special programme was organised on the day in Vidhan Sabha auditorium. Speaking on the occasion, Agarwal said that it is unfortunate that everyone knows the ill effects of consuming tobacco but very few people actually muster the courage of leaving tobacco. Imposing a ban on use of any form of tobacco inside the Vidhan Sabha, the speaker hoped that it will set up a good example for others. He also directed the officials to install CCTV cameras and ensure that the ‘no tobacco ban’ is followed.
The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Trivendra Singh Rawat who was also present on the occasion said that it is unfortunate that more than 13000 people die every year in the state due to cancer caused by consumption of tobacco. This figure is alarming considering that the state has a population of only 1.05 Crores, he said. The CM accepted that the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) – 2003, is needed to be implemented properly in the state. He regretted loss of values and virtues in the security due to which the younger generation is getting a wrong message. The CM said that the pro tobacco lobby is very influential and tries every trick to promote tobacco usage but the state government understands their motive.
A special lecture on the occasion was delivered by Head of Department of Oncology, Himalayan hospital Jollygrant, Dr Sunil Saini. He informed that the prevalence of tobacco usage in Uttarakhand is 31 percent of total population which is very high. “Tobacco consumption causes cancer of food pipe, tongue, lung and even urinary bladder. Apart from cancer tobacco is known to cause heart attack, stroke and gangrene’’. He advocated combination of social, legal and political measures to reduce the menace.
The Chief of Operations, Sambandh Health Foundation, Gurugram, Sanjay Seth that Bidi is the major cause of tobacco related deaths in India and the Bidi lobby is trying hard to put Bidi in lower tax category under GST. He demanded increase in tax burden on tobacco products as it is a proven fact that every 10 percent increase in tax reduces consumption of the goods by nine percent. “The research shows that 90 percent of tobacco users take up this habit when they are in school or college. The best way to reduce the consumption of tobacco is to create awareness among students,’’ he said.
The highlight of the programme was the presentation by some of the cancer affected persons. Prakash Bhatt, Randheer Singh, Rahul Dev and Satya Pal Singh shared as to how consumption of tobacco proved fatal for them and agony they are going through. They appealed the government to impose a ban on sale of tobacco.
The programme was also attended by Vikasnagar MlA Munna Singh Chauhan, Raipur MlA Umesh Sharma Kau, Director General Health Dr D S Rawat, Vidhan Sabha secretary Jagdish Chandra and information officer of health department, J C Pandey.