Kerala’s water transport becomes tobacco smoke-free

Kerala’s famed inland water transport that provides a cheap, efficient and pleasant mode of transport to over 25 million passengers a year has another feather to its cap — it is now completely tobacco smoke-free.

Reply to an RTI query filed with the State Water Transport Department reveals that all its 56 serviceable boats in Kerala have displayed ‘No Smoking’ signages as a measure of warning and protecting passengers from the ills of tobacco smoke.

These boats ply in the waterlogged districts of Alappuzha, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Kannur and Kasargod.

Alappuzha district has 28 boats, accounting for 50 per cent of the total boats and servicing around 35,000 passengers a day.  The other boats are in Ernakulam (9); Kottayam (7); Kollam (4); Kasargod (2); Kannur (1) and 5 spare boats.

Shri Shaji V Nair, Director of Alappuzha-based State Water Transport Department, said, “We have taken strict measures to ensure that smoking is not permitted in any of the boats under the Department. This is done for two reasons: safeguard passengers from second-hand smoke and keep the water bodies free from cigarette and bidi stubs litter.”

Shri Nair stated that “the boat master who is the captain of the boat has been directed to keep a strict vigil. Special squads have been formed to inspect any cases of smoking onboard. Action is taken against the errant staff member if the inspection reveals inaction against any complaints of smoking in the boats.”

Shri Anilkumar Pandala, an expert in the transport sector, said, “Kerala’s water transport being smoke-free is a significant step forward towards achieving total smoke-free public places.”

Shri Pandala, who is Associate Vice President, IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd., noted that public transport in the state is mostly free of smoking. “We have a strict law that prohibits smoking in public places; it provides a strong foundation. Strict enforcement of the law and making it uniformly applicable to all is important.”

Shri Pandala also called upon enforcement officials to ensure that smoking is prohibited in public places such as bus stands and bus stops.

Smoking is prohibited in all public places under Section 4 of the Indian tobacco control law, COTPA, 2003. Public conveyances fall under the definition of a public place of this legislation. 

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Tobacco use on rise by 130 per cent

The widespread habit of chewing tobacco has taken a heavy toll on the Indians as not only the incidences of mouth cancer has increased by 130 per cent between 1990 and 2013, but mouth cancer mortality too doubled in the same period.

Not only chewing tobacco, smoking, too, kills millions in India. The incidence and mortality due to pharynx (throat) and lung cancer went up alarmingly in the last 23 years, says the latest global cancer estimation.

While there is nearly 90 per cent increase in the absolute number of cancer cases, from 6.24 lakh in 1990 to 11.7 lakh in 2013, the actual increase comes down to 30 per cent when adjusted against population growth in the same period. But either way, tobacco emerged as the most important culprit as it contributes significantly for mouth, throat and lung cancer.

“Mouth cancer, the commonest cancer among men in India, is preventable as it has a strong association with tobacco chewing. Cigarette and bidi smoking are associated with lung and throat cancer,” said Lalit Dandona, one of the co-authors of the study who is professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and the Public Health Foundation of India.

Mouth cancer was not ranked in the top ten for incident cases globally but ranked second in India for men and women combined.

For both sexes, the mortality due to throat and lung cancers has increased by 70 and 135 per cent respectively. For both types of cancer, the incidences shot up by 160 and 81 per cent.

In absolute number, lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer deaths for men, and breast cancer was the top cause of cancer death for women. Male deaths from lung cancer outnumbered deaths from other cancers in India while breast cancer took more female lives than other cancers.

“Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in India, which is easier to tackle if detected early. Better awareness about this and more effort by health programmes to facilitate early detection of breast cancer are needed,” Dandona said.

Besides tobacco, another preventable cause of cancer, particularly among the men, is alcohol abuse as liver cirrhosis is a key contributor behind liver cancer, whose incidence increased by 97 per cent among men. 

The only happy story comes from the cervical cancer load in women as it remains static in India unlike the global trend, which shows a rise of 8.5 per cent. The estimate was published in the latest edition of the journal JAMA Oncology. 

Source: Deccan Herald

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Smoking advisory: Deliberate attempt to create disturbing, lingering images

For a six-year-old Ammu seated in the multiplex waiting to watch Despicable Me, what preceded the yellow multitude of minions was a gory advertisement. Her eyes were glued to the mucky sponge being squeezed on the big screen during the anti-tobacco health advisory issued in public interest by the Government of India. 

Wide-eyed and startled, she nudged her father, “Is this how your lungs are, Papa?” The beaker on screen was now brimming with tar; her father, wearing a cold smile, fumbled in the dark for the right words.

What you and I and filmmakers misunderstand is the underlying intention of the advisory. It is not a means to inform us that smoking is harmful; it is, instead, a deliberate attempt to create a distinct disturbing image that will linger.

Why does one smoke anyway? In Chapter 8 of his much acclaimed book The Tipping Point, Malcom Gladwell calls smoking an epidemic and goes on to explain that a possible reason people get addicted to nicotine is depression. When you are depressed, your serotonin levels are usually low; a cigarette, a dose of nicotine, prompts your brain to produce more serotonin, giving you momentary solace, sometimes a faint high.

Chandrasekhar Rath was seven when he first saw a cigarette, 17 when he first smoked one. Right hand clasping one of the rusty bars of the window, left hand holding a cigarette; pausing occasionally to take drags as he hummed along with the transistor: ‘Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi ban jaaye hum dono’ (Come, let us become strangers once again). This image -- watching his uncle smoke by the window -- is still vivid in Rath’s memory.

He doesn’t remember the first film in which he saw a hero smoke. A documentary maker by profession, his daily count was five packs, sometimes six. He quit smoking after he went to Tata Cancer Hospital to record footage for an anti-smoking advertisement he made for the Cancer Patients Aid Association.

“As I watched them wriggle in their beds regretting every drag, I knew they would give up anything to exchange places with me. Something inside me churned; I walked out and threw [away] the entire packet. I haven’t smoked since then. In the initial few months there were days when I had to drag myself away from the shop near the alley where I usually bought my daily quota from. I even had to stay aloof from my friends who smoked and parties and fun for a while,” Rath says. He was 37 when he quit.

Courtesy: Open Magazine

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8-9 Lakh Deaths Can be Attributed to Tobacco Use: Health Minister JP Nadda

Nearly 8-9 lakh people die every year due to diseases related to tobacco use, the government today said while assuring the Rajya Sabha that a number of multipronged initiatives to reduce its consumption in the country have been undertaken.

"As per the report of Tobacco Control in India (2004), each year 8-9 lakh deaths in India can be attributed to tobacco use," Health Minister JP Nadda said in a reply.

He said that as per the findings of the study "Economic Burden of Tobacco related Diseases in India" (2014), commissioned by the Health Ministry, the total economic costs attributable to tobacco use from all diseases in India in 2011 for persons aged 35-69 accounted for Rs. 1,04,500 crore.

Replying to another question, he said that the government had notified a few new rules on October 15, 2014 as per which, health warnings shall cover at least 85 per cent of the principal display area on both sides of the tobacco products.

The committee on Subordinate Legislations, 16th Lok Sabha is currently examining the rules. The committee submitted its interim report in Lok Sabha on March 18, 2015 recommending to keep in abeyance the implementation of the rules till the committee finalises the examination of the subject and arrive at appropriate conclusions and present an objective report in the House.

"Considering that the report of the committee is interim in nature, the Ministry decided to keep the notification in abeyance. Accordingly a corrigendum was issued on March 26, 2015 suspending the date of implementation and stating that the rules shall come into force on such date as the central government may by notification in official gazette appoint," the Minister said.

Other initiatives include ratification of WHO framework convention on tobacco control, launch of national tobacco control programme, launch of pilot project titled 'Alternative crops for 'bidi' and chewing tobacco in different agro-ecological sub-regions' and notification of rules to regulate depiction of tobacco products of their use in films and television programmes.

"The government is not under any pressure from the tobacco lobby," Mr Nadda said.

Replying to another question, Mr Nadda said the government has constituted an inter-ministerial committee of secretaries under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary to review and develop a comprehensive policy on tobacco and related issues.

He said the government got an external evaluation done of the National Tobacco Control Programme through Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).

"Recommendations of this evaluation have been suitably incorporated in the 12th Five Year Plan for national tobacco control programme to make the outcomes more effective," Mr Nadda said.

When asked whether the government has stakes in cigarette manufacturing companies in the country, he said information is being collected and will be laid on the table of the House.

Courtesy: NDTV

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