lucknow

Updated: Jul 01, 2017 16:14 IST

The schools might soon be empowered to report tobacco abuse in areas around its campuses.

The Uttar Pradesh tobacco control cell has proposed to the education department that monthly report prepared by schools should include columns for section 4 and 6 of the cigarette and other tobacco products act (COTPA).

While under section 4 of the COTPA it is to be submitted that whether school campuses are smoke free zone or not, section 6 deals with details of shops selling tobacco products within 100 yards radius of the school campus, which is prohibited as per rules, said Satish Tripathi, state consultant, national tobacco control programme.

He was addressing a workshop on tobacco control on Friday.

The school report can be shared with other departments such as police and sale of tobacco can be checked.

“We have proposed this to the district education department,” said Binoy Matthew, senior programme officer of the Voluntary Health Association of India adding: “This will actually help enforcement agencies to check tobacco sale at places where it is prohibited, such as within 100 yards of schools.”

He said that global adult tobacco survey 2016-17 revealed that 33.9% of Uttar Pradesh population is using tobacco in one or the other form. UP has 2.3% cigarette smokers, 12.4% bidi smokers and 25.3% smokeless tobacco users.

The state government has till now challaned 12,444 people and collected ₹ 14,28,261 between April 2013 and March 2017 for smoking in public places, a violation of the COTPA. “This is enough to show people are in habit of smoking and there is need to implement rules strictly in the state,” said Matthew.

Experts said that public place is any place that general public has access to and if anyone is found smoking there the same be reported to concerned authority who can issue warning and also fine.