Wokha, Zunheboto gear up for smoke-free district hqs. campaign

EM Bureau
Wokha/Dimapur, Aug. 2 (EMN): National Tobacco Control Programme, Zunheboto organised a programme for the launch of smoke- free district headquarters campaign on Monday at DC Bungalow, Zunheboto, an update from DPRO, Zunheboto informed.

Peter Lichamo, Deputy Commissioner, Zunheboto encouraged the NTCP team to work with zeal and dedication so that the campaign would be successful and also to check smoking in public places in their own colonies. He appealed to the gathering to work together sincerely in making the campaign a great success. ‘Smoking habits needs to be treated as an emergency situation, keeping in mind the ill effects to our health in general,’it said. He also congratulated campaign initiators for successfully launching the programme in the district.

Dr. Esther Chophy Ngullie, DNO, NTCP Zunheboto spoke about the aims and objectives of the campaign. She emphasised about the harmful effects of smoking and the dangers of secondhand smoke in public places, govt. offices and homes. She also spoke about the provision of section-4 of COTPA 2003 which bans smoking in public places. She encouraged the current smokers to quit the habit of smoking.

Zunheboto is the first district to start this campaign, it added.

Tokavi Swu, ANPSA, President, Zunheboto unit said that the private schools would fully cooperate in order to make this campaign successful and added that tobacco use had greatly reduced due to the efforts of NTCP team , Zunheboto

Meanwhile, the quarterly meeting of the District Tobacco Control Cell, district level coordination committee and district level enforcement Squad, NTCP Wokha was held on Monday at DC’s conference hall Wokha.

Deputy Commissioner Wokha, Orenthung Lotha who is also the chairman of DTCC & DLCC, NTCP Wokha  appreciated the initiative of DTCC and suggested the house to comply with strict action plan and to coordinate with the additional deputy commissioner, town council administrator of Wokha and Wokha District Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WDCCI) for effective implementation of the action plans, declaring smoking-free zone at public places.

Meanwhile, Lotha showed support and coordination from various leaders of CSo, business community, stating that more school children were addicted to ‘gutka’ consumption or in different forms of tobacco abuse.

Dr. O Daisy Ovung, district nodal officer NTCP Wokha said that due to pandemic, the quarterly meeting could not be conducted regularly, while she said that all necessary arrangement had been done and in the next meeting, Wokha district headquarters would be declared as “smoke-free district Hq.”

She also informed that the dept. had informed to display tobacco related signage in all shops, while the dept. would start distributing more signage shortly.

In the programme, four schools and one college namely; Pinewood, GMS Sector ‘C’ & ‘D, Santsuo Memorial School and Bailey Baptist College were awarded tobacco-free school certificates.

The meeting was attended by various schools and college teachers, with Lotha Eloe Hoho, Lotha Students’ Union and Lotha Youth Hoho were also present at the meeting.