Public place authorities served legal notice for implementing smoking ban

A Supreme Court lawyer yesterday sent a legal notice to the authorities concerned of the government to take steps in seven days to stop smoking in public places.

Another SC lawyer, JR Khan Robin, served the notice on behalf of Shammi Akhter requesting the authorities to implement the relevant sections of the Tobacco Control Act, 2005.

According to the notice, owners, caretakers or controllers, and managers of public places and transports will have to mark a separate smoking zone there as per section 7 of the act.

As per section 8, they will have to put up signboards asking people to refrain from smoking in public places, and mentioning that smoking in such places is a punishable offence, Robin said in the notice.

Besides the people smoking in public places, the authorities concerned are also violating the provisions of the law by not taking necessary steps, he added.

He said his client will  move a writ petition before the High Court for necessary orders on the authorities to stop smoking in public places, if they fail to implement the sections of the law in seven days.

Secretaries to the ministries of health, law, and home, and director general of the health services department, and inspector general of police have been made respondents.