Gazipur Correspondent

The tobacco control activities will be strengthened in Gazipur city corporation area considering its adverse impacts on public health, said an official of the corporation.

"We’re working to control tobacco products through mobile court operations in Gazipur City Corporation. The process of building a tobacco-free city will get momentum from now," said Namita Dey, an official of the city corporation, at a discussion in Gazipur.

The event, jointly organised by the Development Organisation of the Rural Poor-DORP and Gazipur City Corporation, focused on strengthening tobacco control initiatives, said a press release.

Namita Dey said tobacco advertising has now come under control to a large extent in Gazipur city.

The discussion also focused on budget allocation to enhance tobacco control activities.

The keynote presentation, delivered by DORP Program Coordinator Rubina Islam outlined six key proposals aligned with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

These proposals included eliminating designated smoking areas in public places and transport, banning the display of tobacco products at sales points, prohibiting corporate social responsibility activities by tobacco companies, and restricting the import, production, and marketing of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

Program Manager of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) Bangladesh Abdus Salam Mia highlighted that six out of eight major non-communicable diseases are caused by tobacco, resulting in 442 deaths daily in Bangladesh.

He urged the government to expedite the approval and implementation of the amended tobacco control law to protect public health.

Retired secretary and also DORP adviser Azhar Ali Talukder , who chaired the discussion, stressed the need for proper enforcement of tobacco control laws and expressed optimism about achieving a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040 through collective effort.