The ban's dead

Smokers are puffing away happily in public places, and policemen are looking on indulgently

Smokers are puffing away happily in public places, and policemen are looking on indulgently

No one cares about the ban against smoking in public places, not even policemen, a MiD DAY reality check reveals.

Smokes out: Smoking in public places is now commonplaceu00a0pics and Video/ Manju Shettar

This reporter visited Bangalore's busy M G Road area, and found people smoking away without a care.

They even puffed away daringly in the presence of policemen.

A smoker, asked if he wasn't worried about being caught, said, "In the beginning, we were anxious about the law. But after a while, no one bothers."

Two policemen strolling around in the M G Road area said it wasn't their job to stop smokers.

A traffic constable (in white) said punishing smokers was the headache of his law-and-order counterparts (in khaki).

A policeman in khaki, also in the vicinity, said he wasn't looking to catch smokers.

Policespeak

M R Poojar, additional commissioner (law and order), said, "Any public property where citizens gather or walk is deemed a public place where smoking is prohibited."

He said anybody caught smoking at a government office could be punished by a gazetted officer.

"In theatres, hospitals and parks, a health officer can catch and punish smokers," he told MiD DAY.

Who banned it?
Anbumani Ramadoss, health minister in the previous UPA government, implemented the ban on smoking on October 2, 2008. The law bans smoking in public places, and violators can be slapped a fine of Rs 200.