Screening for oral cancer at Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) clinics in rural Primary Health Centres and government gospitals in taluks, simultaneous raids against smoking in public places and other violations of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 across the district and a jatha from Kote Anjaneya Swamy Temple to the Deputy Commissioner’s office will mark the World No Tobacco Day in Mysuru on May 31.
The Mysuru district Tobacco Control Cell has drawn up a series of programmes that included conducting screening for oral cancer at the NCD clinics in rural areas.
According to COTPA consultant, Mysuru district Tobacco Control cell, Shivakumar, the police department will carry out drives against violation of COTPA 2003 that includes smoking in public and selling cigarettes in shops situated within 100 yards of an educational institution.
He said the officials of all the 44 police stations in the district including the 18 in Mysuru City Commissionerate’s jurisdiction will carry out raids against violation of COTPA 2003, book cases and penalise the offenders.
The jatha to be taken out will be inaugurated by Member Secretary of Mysuru District Legal Services Authority Devaraj Bhute. Senior health officials of the district including District Health Officer and the District Surveillance Officer will also participate in the programme.
Students and faculty of JSS Hospital, Gopalagowda Hospital and Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI) will march through K.R. Circle and D. Devaraj Urs Road enroute to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, holding placards and shouting slogans. Handbills will also be distributed among the public, he said.
While tourist destinations will be declared as tobacco-free zones, educational institutions have been instructed to plant saplings. Mysuru airport, City Railway station and bus stands will play a video jingle against the harmful effects of smoking on their LCD screens on May 31.
Meanwhile, Vasanthkumar Mysoremath, convenor of the Anti-Tobacco Forum, Mysuru, said that the World Health Organisation (WHO)-sponsored World No Tobacco Day observed on May 31 every year will be on the theme “Tobacco – Threat to our Environment” this year.
Contending that tobacco cultivation, processing, production and disposal of waste was harming the ecology, Mr. Mysoremath said burning of cigarettes, bidis, cigars etc “emitted thousands of tonnes of human carcinogens, toxic substances and greenhouse gases into the environment”.
He claimed that tobacco farming activities not only resulted in deforestation, but also depletion of soil and loss of soil nutrients from chemical/toxic pollutants.
Contending that about eight kg of dry wood is required for during each kg of tobacco, Mr. Mysoremath said an estimated 24,000 lakh kg of wood is burnt every year for curing about 3,000 lakh kg of FCV tobacco grown in India every year.
