The raids are part of the third and final phase of efforts started by the cell in May 2011 to make Islamabad a model smoke-free city. PHOTO: FILE
A total of 37 cafeterias, restaurants and snooker clubs were raided and fined in January as part of efforts to control indoor and underage shisha smoking. These establishments were fined a total of Rs92,000 by the Tobacco Control Cell (TCC) during the raids.
Majority of these cafes and restaurant are located in posh sectors of the capital and were charged for violating the ban on sale of tobacco products indoors and to people aged under 18.
Café Burnout was fined for Rs 20,000; Civil Junction, Rs15,000; Cave, Rs9000; X-9, Rs10,000; and Hangout was fined Rs7,000. Three others — Jungle Café, Midnight and Incantare — were sealed for serious violations.
The raids are part of the third and final phase of efforts started by the cell in May 2011 to make Islamabad a model smoke-free city.
TCC Project Manager Muhammad Javed, elaborating of the effectiveness of their efforts, said in the second phase of the project that concluded in December, warnings were issued to the cafés and restaurants violating the law. Since many of them ignored the warnings, they were fined in the third phase.
Javed added that they also recently issued warnings to all the restaurants in the Food Street in Melody Market to stop violating anti-tobacco laws. The citizens of Islamabad, however, are not taking the laws seriously, he added. “They are still unable to accept that they could be fined for violating the anti-tobacco laws.”
Nadeem Iqbal, the executive coordinator of The Network for Consumer Protection, said the challenge is to make people see smoking as a legal issue instead of a moral one. He added people in many public offices smoke indoors even though they have been declared non-smoking zones.
Many people vilate anti-tobacco laws in and outside public hospitals, schools, courts and even at various well-known restaurants, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 22nd, 2013.
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All humans should be HEAVILY fined for smoking. Every breathe they exhale (even when NOT smoking), is dangerous for normal human beings.
People have a misconception that if they do not smoke in the presence of children, does not harm them. In fact, every single hair on a smoker's body is a source of chemical irritant for people near and dear to them, even adults, especially ladies.