New Delhi: The Delhi government is mulling over a decision to widen the scope of 'public areas' where it has already banned smoking.
"We are considering to extend the smoking ban to open parks and stadiums which currently don't come under the ambit of the areas where smoking is banned," said A C Tripathi, Programme Officer of Anti Smoking Cell, in a conference here to commemorate with 'World No Tobacco Day' on May 31.
The government also doubled the penalty for smoking in public places from Rs 100. In the last year alone, the authorities have raided 12368 places and produced fifty persons before the magistrate besides imposing fine on 11,735.
Speaking on the occasion, K K Aggarwal, President of Heart Care Foundation of India, said both active and passive smoking damages the tissues of human body and it also causes impotency.
He added that smokers find it difficult to do away with the habit often requiring multiple counseling sessions.
"Currently, about 45 per cent of men and 7 per cent of women are smokers in Delhi," Aggarwal said.
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