Around 2,000 hotels and restaurants in the city are set to become smoke-free in a few days in order to comply with the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA).
Section 4 of the COTPA, 2003, prohibits smoking in all public places. Public place is defined as any place to which the public has access, whether as of right or not, and includes all places visited by general public namely auditorium, hospital building, railway waiting room, amusement centers, public offices, court buildings, educational institutions, libraries, coffee houses, canteens, banks, clubs and also open spaces surrounding hotels/restaurants etc.
Violation of Section 4 of COTPA can be punished with a fine extending up to Rs200. As per the section, police can penalise the manager of the hotel but not the customers.
Speaking to dna, Chandrasekhar Hebbar, president, Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association, said all members of the association had already taken measures to put up the required signages stating the premises are smoke-free. “Majority members of the association have put up the signages. We have requested the BGS Global Hospital to supply the signages. We are expected to receive the signages shortly,’’ Hebbar said.
Apart from Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association, the Karnataka Pradesh Hotels and Restaurants Association has also come forward to make its members COTPA compliant. “We have intimated all our members on the importance of putting up signages indicating smoking is an offence,’’ said Ramachandra Upadhya, president, Karnataka Pradesh Hotels and Restaurants Association.
Hebbar said it is up to the BBMP to make hotels which are not members of Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association to become COTPA compliant. “We want the BBMP to insist these hotels become the members of our association while issuing a no-objection certificate to them. There are more than 5,000 hotels and restaurants in the city and around 2,000 have enrolled as members of Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association,” he said.
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