Odisha to make colleges, varsities tobacco-free zone

Bhubaneswar: After schools, tobacco consumption on premises of colleges and universities will now invite penalty in Odisha.

Taking an initiative to make all the educational institutions, both state-run and private, tobacco-free zone, the state government asked authorities concerned to take action against anyone including professors and staff found under inebriated state on the premises.

The Higher Education department ordered to conduct raids with help of police to evict the shops selling tobacco items, situated near the college and university campus.

The authorities were directed to strongly implement the tobacco free educational institutions (Section 6 b) of COTPA 2003. As per the guidelines, the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products will be prohibited, within 100 yards of educational institutions.

Recently, the School and Mass Education (S&ME) department had asked all schools to penalise people for smoking or consuming tobacco products inside their campus.

A notice has been sent to principals and headmasters of schools on the basis of revised guidelines of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for “Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions”.

The department has also asked directorates to forward the notice to District Education Officers (DEOs) and Block Education Officers (BEOs) who will instruct field officials to implement the order.