Delhi, Mumbai to become smoke free by 2009

New Delhi, Apr 26 (UNI) In a historic move to protect citizens from the harmful impact of passive smoking, the Government has decided to make Delhi and Mumbai smoke free from 2009.

Addressing a journalist boot camp on cancer and tobacco here, Ms Bhavani Thyagrajan, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry, said both the cities are expected to prohibit smoking in public places by 2009.

Under the new move, Mumbai would become smoke-free by the time it hosts the 2009 World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH), one of the foremost conferences on tobacco control. Moreover, as the Commonwealth Games to be held in 2010, the cities would be made smoke free by then.

The health ministry has already initiated talks with the state governments to ensure that laws were implemented properly, she said.

Mr Pat Felt, American Cancer Society's Deputy Chief Operating Officer, lauded the efforts being made to make Delhi and Mumbai smoke free by 2009 WCTOH. He told the boot camp that the last WCTOH was held in Washington DC where the Society helped lead a similar smoke free effort.

''When the world's tobacco control community first decided to hold the prestigious WCTOH in Washington, DC last year the city was not yet smoke free. The cancer control community in the US seized the opportunity to use the World Conference as a lever with public officials to pass legislation making Washington smokefree in time for the conference,'' he said.

UNI