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Smoking laws are burnt out

Swetha Haasini Chakravarthy wonders how such a serious issue as smoking in public has not sparked a collective war from non-smokers

ACT NOW We need strict enforcement of anti-smoking law, says Swetha

I was watching the big fight on NDTV some time ago which was about reining in Indian cinema. Arguments galore were raised on the promotion and glamorisation of smoking in Indian cinema. Who is to be blamed? Curbing cinema sounds ridiculous as it cannot happen in any society.

If `Public smoking is banned' then why any number of persons seen on the road relaxing and puffing away, undeterred by non-smokers around them or the boards outside? This is a law that would be welcome only when implemented. But is anyone out there protesting?

The right to smoke (in open, public places) leaves very little for debate as it is expected of smokers to feel guilty. What shocks one further is to see people coming out of their workplaces to have a quick smoke before rushing back to their seats. Should you grumble, some readily agree to put it off, but there are quite a few who don't. Can't we have the strict implementation of the law?

The mantra

As the law is supposed to be in existence, the only mantra is `strict enforcement.' In the absence of this, one must realise that non-smokers are being poisoned by passive smoking.

For a start, creating anti-smoking groups in schools, colleges, organisations and the neighbourhood, wherein they raise their protests, could perhaps help make just a beginning. Can't major corporations take up these issues play a more effective role for improving these banes of society?

Conscious effort

Perhaps everyone has a role. We need to get out of our chalta hai attitude.

If you are a smoker, make a conscious effort to kick the habit. If you see people smoking, gather the guts to tell them that they are polluting the air. Get charged to tackle the issue, even as the media should be doing their bit to rid society of such negative aspects.

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