Patna, May 20: From now on, think twice before smoking in public. You may end up on the wrong side of the law doing so and cough up Rs 200 as penalty on the spot.

The state health department today woke up to the law prohibiting smoking in public two-and-a-half years after it was introduced and decided to penalise the rule violators on the spot. People found smoking in public places would be issued challans on the spot.

On the sidelines of a workshop on implementation of tobacco control laws, the executive director of Bihar State Health Society (BSHS), Sanjay Kumar, told The Telegraph the ban would be effective from today. He said drugs and food inspectors as well as police would be authorised to issue challans to those smoking in public places.

“Violation of the ban, imposed under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, will attract a fine of up to Rs 200. This is an important step in a state where 51 per cent population uses some kind of tobacco product,” Kumar said.

According to the act, smoking is prohibited at all places to which the public has access. These include auditoriums, health institutions, government buildings, restaurants, courts, public transport, stadia, railway stations, bus stops, workplaces, shopping malls, refreshment rooms and airport lounges.

The state health and family welfare minister, Ashinwi Kumar Choubey, described the ban as a major step towards providing a smoke-free environment and protecting non-smokers from passive smoking. He said the state was registering a spurt in cases of oral and lungs cancers primarily caused because of tobacco use.

As the act also talks about prohibition of sale of tobacco products near educational institution and hospitals, a large number of college principals and doctors took part in the workshop jointly organised by BSHS, Union ministry of health and World Health Organisation.

Kumar said enforcing the law was not the only way to control the use of tobacco. The state health department would launch a massive campaign to put a curb on the unhealthy practice.

“The use of tobacco in any form is dangerous and harmful for health. It is unfortunate that 51 per cent of khaini users belong to Bihar. There is an urgent need to spread awareness regarding the negative effects of the tobacco use. We are, therefore, contemplating to appoint psychologists in each district to counsel those who want to quit tobacco but are finding it difficult,” Kumar said.

The health department principal secretary, Amarjeet Sinha, said aggressive campaigns would be carried out to discourage people from using tobacco in any form October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Choubey shared a personal experience on how he tried to ban tobacco products, including gutkha and paan, inside the Assembly as a first-time MLA through private member bill. The leading party in the House then refused to support it, though. “But now, as a health minister, I will make every effort to ensure this practice is shunned everywhere in the state as I personally dislike it,” Chaubey said.

The government’s move to ban smoking in public places evoked mixed reactions. Ahinav, a student and a self-confessed chain smoker, said: “I understand the dangers of smoking but it is my choice. As long as smoking is legal, there should be some place for smokers. If smoking at restaurants and other public places are banned now, smokers’ zones should be earmarked.”

Some of the citizens were clueless on how the state government would execute the act strictly. “Bihar is one of the last states to implement fine on people smoking in public places. Earlier, they had refused to follow the Centre’s guideline, saying they did not have enough machinery or manpower to enforce the ban. So, I do not really see much conviction in what the government and the authorities are saying,” said Praneta Sharma, a senior executive in a telecom major.