Editorial Team
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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : April 18, 2018 12:29 PM IST
"Smoking in public places is injurious to health and is an offence. Besides impacting their own health, the smoker also affects health of 2 to 4 other people standing close by. This causes serious health issues cancer, respiratory and cardiac diseases. Even more alarming is the introduction to tobacco usage of children & youth. Smoking in public places and not selling tobacco products to children are offences under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) and Navi Mumbai Police will take strict action under COTPA (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act)," said Navi Mumbai's Commissioner of Police Hemant Nagrale, who organized a special Training Program for 55 Police Officers from Navi Mumbai on COTPA on 17 April.
COTPA prohibits smoking in public places, direct/indirect advertising and promotion, sale to/by minors, sale within 100 yards of schools and sale of tobacco-products without statutory warnings.
The training program was organized under the guidance of Navi Mumbai DCP Tushar Doshi and conducted by Sambandh Health Foundation's Deepak Chhibba, Devidas Shinde and Shrikant Jadhav. The various offences under COTPA and actions which Police can take were explained with videos and photos. A special booklet in Marathi on these topics was given to the participants. Police Officers from CBD Belapur, NRI Police Station , Kalamboli, Rabale, Panvel City, Kamothe, Vashi and Khandeshwar participated and took keen interest in learning COTPA law and its implementation. Said DCP Doshi, "This training highlights the role which COTPA can play in reducing the consumption and ill effects of tobacco usage".
Dr Prashant Pawar, Oncologist
Dr Prashant Pawar, Oncologist from Fortis & Apollo Hospitals took an informative session during the training and said, "Tobacco usage causes 90% of oral cancers which leads to fatalities, major loss of quality of life, trauma and financial ruin for the family. There are also other serious illnesses caused by tobacco usage and the impact extends to non-users through passive smoke and spitting. Prevention is better than cure the Police can contribute significantly by stepping up implementation of COPTA, which will prevent the youth from tobacco addiction".
Nimesh Sumati of NGO Caring Friends said, "In Maharashtra, every day 529 children are initiated into tobacco use. Each year 105,000 people are diagnosed with cancers associated with tobacco use. COTPA implementation will help in reducing this tobacco menace."
Source: Press Release
