NEWS

Bollywood biggies might disagree, but a vast majority of Indians (98 per cent) support the ban on smoking in public places, including restaurants and bars, and an overwhelming 99 per cent favour enforcement of a smoke-free environment at the work place.These are the findings of a new survey released by Voluntary Health Association of India and Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health. The survey was conducted through Synovate’s Global Omnibus to sense public attitudes and preferences in four major Indian cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai.Ninety-nine per cent of the respondents in Delhi said the Government should strongly enforce rules prohibiting smoking at public places and 92 per cent believed exposure to second-hand smoke is a serious public health hazard. Ninety-four per cent supported the rights of non-smokers at public places. “The results of the survey have highlighted the fact that Indians have decisively spoken out against smoking in public, and….recognition of the fact that second-hand smoke is a health hazard. This clearly shows that there is ample scope for the ban on smoking in public places to succeed in the country, and it is the responsibility of civic bodies to ensure that the rules necessary to achieve this are uniformly enforced,” said the report.