Base Line Compliance and Opinion Poll of Smoke Free Himachal Project

Objective of Base Line Compliance and Opinion Poll

To assess current status of Compliance of COTPA regarding Smoke Free Public Places, the general Public opinion for Smoke Free initiatives in Himachal Pradesh and to assess the understanding of Public with regard to effective implementation of the Act.

Methodology

1. Study Area -All the district Headquarters (H. Q.) within respective Municipal Corporation/Council Limit and strategically selected Block Headquarters (Total 40) within NAC/Nagar Panchayats/Gram Panchayats limit, Tourist Destinations and remote areas of Himachal Pradesh have been considered.

2. Sampling Methodology -The target population for this survey are all

residents in Himachal Pradesh aged 18 and above who access public places frequently.

3. Sample Size -Total Sample size is 10083 populations present in all District H.Q. and 50% of strategically selected Block HQs. Proportionate Population Sampling (PPS) was done to deduce the sample population. Interviews were done at individual level in public pl

aces.

Result of Opinion Poll Compliance Survey of Himachal Pradesh

1. 33.2% smokes in Himachal out of which the percentage of Male Smokers 33% and that of Female is 0.2%.

2. 86% agrees that Smoking is harmful for health.

3. 89% agrees that Passive Smoking is Dangerous.

4. 85% agrees that Smoking Causes Economic Burden.

5. 84% supports Smoke Free Environment.

Result of Base Line Compliance Survey

1. 52% of the No Smoking Zone – Smoking Here is an Offence was displayed in prominent Places.

2. 42% of the total displayed signage were found as per specification of COTPA

3. 23% of the total public places visited has Displayed any signage

4. 30% of the public places have found active smoking

5. 23% of the public places have found smoking aids (Ashtrays, Matchboxes and Lighters)

6. 36 % of the public places were found with recent smoking

7. 49% of the public places have found cigarettes and bidi butts

Highlights of Base line Compliance Survey & Opinion Polls

• Violation with regard to Section 4 and 6 was observed in all Study Areas.
• Two Panchayats of Dodra Kawar (District Shimla), few villages of Chamba, Kullu and Mandi do not allow tobacco consumption of any type due to religious reasons.
• Smoking is considered as a part of Indian Culture. Foreigners are not aware of the concept of Smoke Free Himachal and in almost all Districts of Himachal Pradesh, they have been found smoking. Effective Implementation of ban and displaying more signage at various prime locations and tourist spots of Himachal Pradesh can create awareness among tourists. Signage should be in Hindi as well as in English so that the message could reach to every section of the society.
• Females all over State shared that they wanted to oppose their seniors in office who Smoke but they hesitate. Sensitization programs should be conducted to create awareness regarding ill effects of Passive Smoking and Section 4.
• Smoking Charas in Cigarettes is increasing among youth in Himachal Pradesh.
• In Hamirpur, the case of West End Tobacco Company providing training to the villagers in cigarette and bidi rolling has been traced with the help of HPVHA and Department of Health.
• In District Mandi, Police challaned a person after seeing his clipping in CCTV and now everyone is afraid of Smoking at Public Places in Mandi.
• In District Sirmour a laudable initiative was taken by an announcer at HRTC Bust Stand at Nahan. He was continued announcing that any person violating Section 4 in Bus Stand will be penalized.
• It was observed that the Name of the Reporting Authority was not mentioned on many Signage.
• In District Kangra, the Tobacco Companies are paying vendors for displaying hoardings of their brands. These hoardings seem to give negative message regarding smoking but actually it is a Promotional Activity of Tobacco Companies.
• The District administration at Keylong stated that they had already sent a notification to the State Government regarding the declaration of smoke free Keylong, but only 32% of Institutes had Signage displayed.
• Bus stands, Taxi stands and small restaurants are the places where the violation is highest.
• Despite notification e.g. from the Department of Elementary Education for execution of section 4 and 6 still the action has not been taken at the district level.
• Compliance for No Smoking has to be done strictly in all Tourist Destinations of the State.

Conclusion:

On the whole the COTPA is being implemented in all parts of the state but the contribution of other than police department is not visible. The district authority has another priority to complete.