Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, APRIL 28
Kohima has been declared a ‘Smoke-free City’ by Rovilatuo Mor, IAS, Deputy Commissioner and Chairman of DLCC, Kohima following a memorandum submitted by the students of tobacco free schools, Kohima today at a campaign for smoke-free Kohima city. The programme is being organised by the District Tobacco Control Cell Kohima, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Kohima.
With the declaration, Kohima has become the first district in the State to be declared a ‘Smoke-free City’.
The memorandum which cited the threat of being exposed to smoking directly or indirectly in the city, requested the authority to declare Kohima as ‘Smoke-free Nagaland Capital’ to reduce the level of health hazards for common people particularly children community from exposure to second-hand smoke.
The deputy commissioner assured that Kohima will be made a smokeless city for a better and healthier tomorrow.
He informed that elaborate guidelines and rules will be prepared for adherence by public and enforcement of the same throughout Kohima city. In order to make this declaration into a reality, Mor solicited the participation of all the twenty tobacco free schools to be the ambassdors for making Kohima a smoke-free city, and towards enforcement of various guidelines.
During the campaign, placards read ‘Make Kohima smoke-free city’, ‘breathe healthy, live happy’, ‘tar the roads not the lungs’, ‘burn calories not cigaratte’, stop smoking because we live only once’, ‘don’t let your life go up in smoke’, ‘kill it before it kills you. Leave it before you leave the world’ etc.
Dr Hotokhu Chishi, Joint Director, Dept of H&FW while citing the dangers of tobacco use, said Nagaland tobacco cancer cases are on the rise, and pressed on the need for all to come together and work to reduce tobacco consumption.
Dr Chishi asserted that we must stop smoking in presence of wives and children at home, public places, public gatherings, meetings and conferences, festive gatherings, indoor and outdoor stadium, offices, bus stand, Police station, prisons & jails, hotels & restaurant, inside and outside the school premises, educational institutions, in public transport such as buses, taxis and public carrier. And most importantly he said, children should be stopped from buying tobacco for parents; stop selling tobacco products to the children and stop children to sell tobacco products.
He lauded the school children for understanding the health hazards of tobacco uses, and rising up to fight to protect themselves and the future generation from tobacco menace. He also appealed to all the citizens of Kohima to join the fight against tobacco in total solidarity with the children. ‘This is your city and these are your children. Protect them and make Kohima a Clean, Smoke Free City capital of Nagaland’.
Sharing on the ‘harmful effects of smoking’ Rokosetuo Pucho from Mt Sinai Higher Secondary School, Kohima said many are aware on the ill effects of smoking through awareness programmes, pictures and videos but are relunctant to give up the habit.
Stating that students can start from the smallest step to educate the people, he challenged fellow mates to stop using these products, educate and encourage another fellow to stop it. ‘Then we as a crowd standing here can impact so many lives. It will surely affect our city positive’.
Thangolo from Government Higher Secondary School, Seikhazou sharing his vision for a smoke free Kohima said everybody has the right to breathe clean fresh air, and added that smoke free Kohima is central to realizing the right to live and the right to the highest attainable standard of health for everyone.
For Tobacco free Kohima, he said we need measures that are not just one, but should be built on a multi-faceted approach, including various tobacco control strategies balancing a range of national and local actions that complement each other.
Encouraging his friends, Thangolo said, awareness should begin from home and within the family to the community and to the general public, which requires informing the people and educating them about the tragic effects of tobacco. He urged them to come and work together for a smoke-free Kohima and lead the community to a better future and healthy life.
