Smoking-free educational instts underscored

Experts have urged to make educational institutions smoking-free to save the young generations from the catastrophe of indirect-smoking. Speaking at an awareness-building meeting they elaborately narrated the consequences of smoking and indirect smoking in public places like educational institutions, transports, offices, hospitals, clinics, hotels and restaurants and expressed their views about amended tobacco control act and other issues. ‘The women and children are being affected more than male from indirect smoking in Bangladesh where 68 per cent male and 30 female being affected by indirect smoking at work places and 69 per cent male and 21 female in the public transports, they said. They said victims of indirect smoking, like smokers, have been suffering from diseases of lung cancer, cerebra-vascular, coronary artery, chronic obstructive pulmonary, ear infection, bronchitis and many other tobacco-attributable deadly diseases. Rangpur Tobacco Control Coalition (RTCC) with the assistance of Association for Community Development (ACD) organised the meeting held in Rangpur city, according to a news agency.