Bhubaneswar: The child welfare committee has ordered all the 10 block executive officers to make all school premises in the district tobacco-free zones and sought an action taken report within a month.

The committee has asked the officers to ask the heads of government and private schools to write Tobacco-free Zone on the boundary walls. It has also asked them to instruct the heads of the schools to ensure that no tobacco products is sold within 100 yards of the school.

"We have also instructed the heads of the schools to lodge complaints with the nearest police station if any person sells tobacco within 100-yard radius of the schools. Besides, the officers have also been asked to ensure that no persons, including the teachers and parents, use tobacco on school premises," said committee member Benudhar Senapati.

The order has been issued in view of Section 6 of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act, which states that no person shall sell, offer for sale or permit sale of cigarettes or any other tobacco products to any person who is under 18 years of age or in an area within a radius of 100 yards of any educational institution. Violation of this act is punishable under sections 24(1) and (2) of the act.

Despite the crackdown, one can spot people not only buying tobacco products near schools, but also consuming it there. Sources said most of the shops selling tobacco products near the schools concealed them.

Police said they would intensify the crackdown on such shops located near the schools.

Statistics also revealed increase in detection of violation of smoking in public places in 2017 in the twin cities. According to statistics, while 4,829 people had been penalised for smoking in public places in 2016, the number went up to 6,539 in the twin cities in 2017. The police had in 2017 collected Rs 6.07 lakh from offenders smoking in public.