The Times of India             04.10.2013

LMC workshop to helpcurb tobacco sale, ads

LUCKNOW: Lucknow Municipal Corporation is involving corporators and sanitary inspectors to make sure their wards don't carry hoardings or any other form of outdoor advertising promoting tobacco products and also that there are no tobacco or cigarette shops within 100 yards of schools.

To educate corporators, sanitary inspectors, health department workers and other staff on ill effects of tobacco consumption, a workshop was organised by the State Tobacco Control Cell and Cancer Aid Society under the chairmanship of Mayor on Thursday. This is a first of its kind workshop organised by a GoI funded NGO in LMC.

The workshop was attended by two prominent doctors from King George's Medical University, Dr Suryakant, HOD of pulmonary medicines and Dr Divya Gupta, a specialist on oral cancer, who gave presentations on various diseases associated with consumption of tobacco and related products. They educated inspectors and corporators on the symptoms as also preventive measures.

Mayor Dinesh Sharma said, "The workshop was an eye-opener for people who unconsciously fall prey to tobacco addiction. I recommend that corporators should learn and educate in their wards about ill-effects of tobacco on health

." He said the corporators should ensure in their wards that no hoarding or billboard should display tobacco products within 100 yards of any school. Also, no shops or stall should be allowed to sell these products outside schools. Mayor said both these proposals would be floated in the next house meeting of LMC.

LMC's community development officer said before pursuing with corporators to create awareness in various wards, LMC will first try to eradicate smoking and other tobacco consumption habit within its Lalbagh office.

Sharma said he would encourage corporators to organise such workshops in their wards quite frequently so that public can become aware about oral and lungs' diseases caused due to tobacco. "I have been approached by many NGOs in the past who work for tobacco eradication from society. I would ask these NGOs to organise similar workshops in various wards so that maximum people can benefit from it," he added.

The workshop suggested that apart from the person chewing tobacco, health of people who are in the vicinity as also the surrounding environment get affected. It is said that more than the revenues earned from production of tobacco in India is spent on treatment of diseases it causes.

Four NGOs working for this cause have already approached mayor for organising anti-tobacco workshops.