Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India: A campaign was launched on Wednesday by the team of District Tobacco Control Cell, Raipur and Dr B R Ambedkar Memorial Medical College Hospital, Raipur to make the campus tobacco free.

A total of 22 challans (notices) were issued by the joint team in compliance with the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003 under the National Tobacco Control Programme.

Dr. Vivek Patre, Nodal Officer of Tobacco Control Cell of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Medical College and Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, said that under the National Tobacco Control Programme, educational institutions and hospital premises have been made tobacco free. The action has been taken. Under the Act, if any type of tobacco product is bought, sold or consumed by any person within a radius of 100 yards of an educational institution, then it is mandatory for the nodal officer to take challan action under COTPA Act 2003.

Smoke free prohibition zones and tobacco free educational institute boards and posters for awareness were put up around the campus.

Dr. Patre said that possessing tobacco in any form and consuming it inside the hospital premises is a punishable offence.

Drug Inspector Parmanand Verma from Food and Drug Administration Department, District Raipur, Ajay Bais from Health Department, District Raipur and HR Manager of Ambedkar Hospital Raghavendra Sao conducted the inspection.