Anti-tobacco platforms and seminars keeps fight up and about

Dimapur, April 16 (EMN): Various government and community initiatives against tobacco use organised by health agencies and unions continue in Nagaland.

A seminar to publicise the harmful effects of tobacco on health was conducted on April 16 in Kohima.

The government publicity agency, Information and Public Relations (IPR), issued updates on Tuesday informing about the event.

The district nodal officer for the National Tobacco Control Programme, Dr. Arenla Walling said during the event that tobacco affects the whole system or parts of the human body. It then can cause oral cancers and other major diseases.

‘India has the highest number of oral cancer cases in the world and 90% of oral cancers are tobacco related,’ she said. The official urged the participants to spread the message against tobacco use in their respective places.

Achila Walling, a worker at the NTCP, spoke about the main provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act of 2003. She said that the ban on smoking in public places include government buildings, public transport, hotels, restaurants, parks, hospitals, school, libraries, auditorium, open auditorium, railway station, work places, cinema halls, discotheques, pubs, airport lounge and prisons etc. Likewise, she highlighted the penalty against those who violate the Act.

Anti tobacco enforcement

Elsewhere, in Dimapur, leaders of the Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) stated to have undertaken a drive to ‘curb the menace of tobacco use’ especially among the students community. The union’s leaders checked shops as part of its “first phase of action,” a press release from the organisation stated on Tuesday.

The group conducted “surprise checking” of shops and seized tobacco products, which were then burnt and disposed off at the Dimapur Municipal Council’s garbage dumping site on April 16 at Sunrise colony, at Burma camp in Dimapur.

T Tsenpemo Kikon, assistant commissioner of police, and team leader of the district anti-tobacco squad lamented that ‘in spite of repeated warnings many vendors continue to sell tobacco products near educational institutions.’ He warned the shops that they will be punished ‘with punitive action as prescribed by law,’ the union stated.

Dr. C Tetseo, nodal officer of the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) was also mentioned in the press release as having “emphasised upon the COTPA Act 2013 under section 6 a and b and said that tobacco is the biggest threat to the society.”

The anti-tobacco squad and the union will continue to conduct ‘surprise checking,’ the press release stated. The organisation has appealed to citizens to extend ‘unflinching support and cooperation’ to the initiative.