Mission Director, National Health Mission, Jharkhand Dr. SK Chaurasia has issued a guideline to all districts to effectively implement ban on all types of tobacco products like cigarettes, bidi, pan masala, in public places across the state. He has directed to strictly follow the ban on use and sale of hookah, khaini, zarda and gutka. Dr. Chaurasia said that eating pan masala, khaini, zarda and gutka increases the risk of spreading coronavirus through spitting. Therefore, consumption of tobacco products has been banned in public places.
The mission director told that the board / wall-writing of tobacco-free signage should be displayed at all the prominent places in all government / non-government offices / educational institutions / health institutions and all other institutions. Also, a dustbin should be kept at the main gate of all office buildings / institutions, in which if anyone has tobacco products, it can be disposed of. General information (through flex / tin plate / other medium) should be displayed at all other public places (such as street-road, chowk-intersection and others) for possible public awareness.
Chaurasia instructed that in all government offices a senior officer should be nominated with whom a complaint for violation of these orders may be lodged. The designated officer will be authorized to pay penalty / other legal action to the violators.
The mission director, through a letter to the Deputy Commissioners, Senior Superintendents of Police, Superintendents of Police, and Civil Surgeons of all the districts, has apprised on the effective implementation of the directive keeping in mind the government's commitment to the safety of the health of the public in the context of the ongoing Covid-19 epidemic in the State.
State’s Tobacco Control Officer Dr. Lalit Ranjan Pathak informed that in the light of the decision taken in the meeting of the State Tobacco Control Coordination Committee (STCCC) convened on 02-05-2019 under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand, directions have been given under all sections of COPTA-2003 for effective compliance of the Act, formation of three-layered guerrilla squad and all the police station in-charge formed at the district subdivision and block level within their jurisdiction have been directed to fine/penalize the violators.
He said that tobacco consumption is one of the major threats to public health. Spitting is a public health hazard and a major cause of communicable disease outbreaks. Consumers of tobacco tend to spit on each other. Due to spitting, many serious diseases like corona, encephalitis, tuberculosis, swine flu etc are expected to spread. The corona infection has been declared an epidemic by the World Health Organization. To prevent this, where the lockdown has been done in the entire country including Jharkhand, a number of guidelines have also been issued.
It is to be noted that in the light of increasing cases of Coronavirus in the State, the tobacco-free zonez has been declared by the Deputy Commissioners of all 24 districts of Jharkhand in the past, banning tobacco consumption in all the government / non-government offices and premises in their respective districts.