The Bangladesh Restaurant Owners' Association on Saturday declared all restaurants smoke-free in a move to ensure clean environment for public health.
The announcement is seen as a 'boost' for the anti-tobacco campaign as they said the proposed hike in tobacco taxes in the proposed 2012-13 budget could not meet their demand of 'higher' tobacco taxation.
"Today we declare all of our restaurants smoke-free," Kamar Uddin Ahmed Khokon, President of the association announced at the National Press Club.
He said they would ensure that the decision was followed in all of around 55,000 restaurants in the country.
Anti-tobacco activists hailed the announcement, but they said there would be challenge to implement it as the existing 2005 tobacco control act did not include restaurants in its public place definition.
However, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan said he would issue an ordinance within a month in this regard.
"I can assure you that within a month restaurants will be declared public place through an ordinance," he said while speaking at the function.
With at least 43 percent adults consume tobacco, World Health Organisation estimates, 57,000 people die and more than 350,000 suffer due to tobacco related illness in Bangladesh.
Experts suggested the government to ensure smoke-free environment following the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC) that Bangladesh ratified as study showed passive smoking also kills.
"When the government is not doing it, we are trying to do something," Restaurant Owners' Association President Khokon said as he believed smoke-free restaurants would also help their business.
"If customers are not allowed to smoke inside (restaurants), they will not stay for long time. We will get opportunity to serve more customers," he argued.
Secretary General of the association M Rezaul Karim Sarker Robin told bdnews24.com that they had already formulated a strategy with the help of Dhaka Ahsania Mission to implement the decision.
A 'smoke free' sign would be placed inside the restaurants while managers would be instructed to ensure it.
"Owners have been requested to visit and monitor their restaurants," Robin said.
Hailing the move, Coordinator of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids in Bangladesh Taifur Rahman said if restaurants were identified as public place in the law the implementation would be easy.
"It has been proposed in the revised (draft) act," he added.
The Restaurant Owners' Association officials also believed that once identified as public place, they would be able to strictly enforce the decision.
Economists estimated the medical cost of tobacco consumption was twice the revenue the government earns from the industries.
The announcement is seen as a 'boost' for the anti-tobacco campaign as they said the proposed hike in tobacco taxes in the proposed 2012-13 budget could not meet their demand of 'higher' tobacco taxation.
"Today we declare all of our restaurants smoke-free," Kamar Uddin Ahmed Khokon, President of the association announced at the National Press Club.
He said they would ensure that the decision was followed in all of around 55,000 restaurants in the country.
Anti-tobacco activists hailed the announcement, but they said there would be challenge to implement it as the existing 2005 tobacco control act did not include restaurants in its public place definition.
However, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan said he would issue an ordinance within a month in this regard.
"I can assure you that within a month restaurants will be declared public place through an ordinance," he said while speaking at the function.
With at least 43 percent adults consume tobacco, World Health Organisation estimates, 57,000 people die and more than 350,000 suffer due to tobacco related illness in Bangladesh.
Experts suggested the government to ensure smoke-free environment following the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC) that Bangladesh ratified as study showed passive smoking also kills.
"When the government is not doing it, we are trying to do something," Restaurant Owners' Association President Khokon said as he believed smoke-free restaurants would also help their business.
"If customers are not allowed to smoke inside (restaurants), they will not stay for long time. We will get opportunity to serve more customers," he argued.
Secretary General of the association M Rezaul Karim Sarker Robin told bdnews24.com that they had already formulated a strategy with the help of Dhaka Ahsania Mission to implement the decision.
A 'smoke free' sign would be placed inside the restaurants while managers would be instructed to ensure it.
"Owners have been requested to visit and monitor their restaurants," Robin said.
Hailing the move, Coordinator of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids in Bangladesh Taifur Rahman said if restaurants were identified as public place in the law the implementation would be easy.
"It has been proposed in the revised (draft) act," he added.
The Restaurant Owners' Association officials also believed that once identified as public place, they would be able to strictly enforce the decision.
Economists estimated the medical cost of tobacco consumption was twice the revenue the government earns from the industries.
0 comments:
Post a Comment