The Hindu : New Delhi News : AIIMS a ‘safe zone’ for sale of cigarettes, tobacco products?

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Tuesday, Mar 18, 2008
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New Delhi

AIIMS a ‘safe zone’ for sale of cigarettes, tobacco products?

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

Small hawkers doing business virtually inside the Institute premises

NEW DELHI: Bollywood has often had its knuckles rapped for its on-screen portrayal of tobacco use, but no one would expect the country’s premier medical institute, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, to turn into a “safe zone” for sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, hospitals and other health care institutes have been declared “No smoking” zones. And since AIIMS is also an educational institution, sale of cigarette and other tobacco products within 100 yards of the area is prohibited.

Realising the seriousness of the violation being allowed at the Institute, senior physicians at AIIMS claim that they have repeatedly complained to the administration about the nuisance but nothing seems to have prevented small hawkers from doing business virtually inside the Institute premises.

“There is a brisk sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products at the entrance to the subway at AIIMS which connects it to Safdarjung Hospital. A group of hawkers has set up shop here and are doing good business. This is completely unacceptable and while the laws don’t allow this, the fact that they are doing this virtually inside the premises of the Institute is highly objectionable,” said a senior faculty member.

AIIMS spokesperson Y.K. Gupta said: “This has been a long-pending issue inside the Institute with the hawkers now becoming a persistent nuisance. We have to take some proactive steps to ensure that we are able to find a solution to the problem. The hospital is a ‘No smoking’ zone and there is also increased awareness among our staff which has over the years seen a reduction in tobacco use here.”

Meanwhile, the hawkers who are doing business here claim that while they are aware of the fact that the law does not permit them to sell tobacco and other related products here, “the sale is so good and the comparatively lower competition makes it the perfect business spot.”

Non-government organisation HRIDAY-SHAN director Monika Arora said: “We are aware of the illegal sale of tobacco products near the Institute premises, but implementation of the law is lax.”

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