Bangladesh Parliament Sunday passed a bill imposing a ban on smoking at public places and in public transports, as well as on advertisement of tobacco products.

According to the Daily Star on Monday, Health and Family Welfare Minister Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain introduced the bill titled "Smoking and Tobacco Usage (control) Act, 2005", which prohibits publication of advertisements of tobacco products in newspapers, books, magazines, radio and television broadcasts, as well as in cinema.

The new law also bans smoking in public places and transports with a provision for penalty. Anyone who violates the provision will be fined with Taka 50 (0.8 US dollar). However, it says the authorities or caretaker of any public place or transport can makespecial arrangements for smokers.

The category of public places include educational institutions,government, semi-government and autonomous offices, libraries, lifts, hospitals, clinics, court buildings, airports, sea and river port buildings, railway stations, bus terminals, ferries, cinema halls, covered exhibition centers, theaters, children's parks and other places designated by gazette notifications.

According to the new law, putting up billboards and printing leaflets and handbills or any other documents, including films andvideotapes, containing advertisement of tobacco are banned.

The law dictates that no company will be allowed to distribute tobacco free of cost, arrange any competition and make any offer of scholarship or donation to publicize tobacco products. A punishment of three months imprisonment or a fine of Taka 1,000 (16.6 dollars) or both is enforceable for its violation.

Piloting the bill, Mosharraf Hossain said it is aimed at discouraging smoking and sales of cigarettes and tobacco products in the country.

Some lawmakers from opposition parties, however, were critical about the new law and cautioned it would create new scopes of corruption for police. Police will harass innocent people by misusing the law, they apprehended.

Source: Xinhua