With the amended tobacco control law defining all indoor workplaces as 'public place', smoking is not possible even in private office buildings.
More than 45 per cent people either smoke or chew tobacco in Bangladesh, making it one of the top five countries in tobacco consumption in the world, reports bdnews24.com.
But tobacco industry lobbies are strong. Anti-tobacco activists say they delayed adoption of rules for implementing the 2013 amended law by nearly two years.
The rules had finally been adopted on March 12 this year clearing the path for implementing the law that had broadened the definition of public places, increased penalties and introduced pictorial health warning in tobacco packages.
"It's a strong law no doubt, but the challenge lies in how it is implemented. Key role lies on the authorised officer," ABM Zubair, executive director of an anti-tobacco NGO Progga told the news agency.
The law defined 24 types of places as public place and eight types of vehicles as public transport where smoking is completely banned.
But in some places they can keep designated smoking zone, but that place must be outside the main working building and beyond the path of non-smokers.
"The zone (designated smoking zone) would be such a place from where smoke does not enter the non-smoking zone," Taifur Rahman, Bangladesh coordinator of the US-based Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK), told the news agency.
"The main spirit of the law is to protect non-smokers from second-hand smoking".
Educational institutions, government offices, semi-government offices, non-government offices, indoor workplaces, offices of autonomous bodies, libraries, elevators, hospitals and clinic buildings, court buildings, and restaurants covered by four walls have been defined as public places.
Airport buildings, sea port buildings, river port buildings, railway station buildings, bus terminal buildings, cinema halls, exhibition halls, theatre halls, market buildings, and public toilets are also in the list.
Children's parks, fairs, places where passengers queue up for availing public vehicles, or any other place accessible for collective use by people are also defined as public places.
Besides, any other or all places declared by general or special order of the government or local government intuitions will be known as smoke-free places, according to the new law.
