Around 2,000 attend IDA's anti-tobacco rally

With the World Health Organisation (WHO) announcing 'Tobacco, a threat to development', as a theme for 2017, various initiatives were taken by different organisations in the city to spread awareness about the ill effects of consuming tobacco products on World No Tobacco Day on Tuesday.

The West Bengal Chapter of the Indian Dental Association (IDA) along with a private hospital organised a rally in the city as a part of their awareness campaign on how consumption of tobacco in various forms leads to cancer. Around 2,000 people took part in the Walkathon organised on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day. The rally started from the Dr R Ahmed Dental College and Hospital and ended on Rani Rashmani Road.

Biman Bandyopadhyay, Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, state Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, cricketer Manoj Tiwary and other senior officials of the state Health department attended the programme at Moulali from where the rally started.

According to available data, a single cigarette reduces up to 11 minutes of our lifespan, while a full packet of it cause us to lose three hours forty minutes of our life. Around 137 people are dying in our country every hour due to use of tobacco and tobacco products, while in the world a person dies every six seconds due to these products.

According to a Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2010 report, around 36.3 percent of the population in West Bengal use tobacco in some form and lakhs of people die each year due to tobacco-related ailments. The survey says that around 85 percent men and 20 per cent women in India use tobacco in some form.

The World Health Organisation report, the 'Global Tobacco Epidemic' warns us that tobacco consumption among women is on the rise and it includes the youth as well. When this survey was conducted in 2010, 35 percent people were consuming tobacco in some form. Remarkably, a GATS survey is planned this year in India. An Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study reveals that 50 percent of cancer cases in males and 25 percent cases in females are caused by tobacco consumption. 90 percent of it is oral cancer.

Dr Raju Biswas, the state secretary of the IDA, said that the state government has announced six districts including Malda, Darjeeling and Bankura as tobacco free districts after the IDA had urged the state government to do so. Howrah will also be declared a tobacco free district by the government. He also thanked Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for taking the initiative. He urged the Chief Minister to announce all the districts tobacco-free. Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay said that he would convey the message to the Chief Minister.