Move to stop smoking in public transport

19 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) will take necessary steps in implementing the law prohibiting smoking in public transport, said BRTA Chairman Aiyub Rahman at a programme yesterday. To protect children, women and non-smokers from the bad effects of smoking, non-smoking logos must be fixed compulsorily on the public vehicles, he said this at a view-exchange meeting organised by Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance. Legal action would be taken to protect people, especially non-smokers from passive smoking, from the deadly impacts of smoking, the BRTA chairman added. Smoke emitted from cigarettes and bidis have more than 4,000 kinds of harmful chemical elements, which can lead to severe diseases even among non-smokers only for inhaling the smoke. The alliance placed a set of recommendations to BRTA, including fixing 'No Smoking' logos on the public vehicles and penalty to those disobeying the rule by mobile court. It also said, the licence for the driver would inform them on the rules of banning of smoking in the public vehicle and a mobile court should have the authority to punish a driver if seen smoking while driving. Aminul Islam Sujan, representative of WBB Trust, Syeda Ananya Rahman, project officer of WBB, AKM Abdus Salam, director (admin) of BRTA, and Md Ferdaus Alam, deputy director of BRTA, also spoke at the meeting.