The race to 2009 is because Mumbai will host the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in March that year. Government agencies, NGOs and doctors who are championing the smoke-free campaign (banning smoking in public places) and organising the conference have united under the banner of Mumbai Action Committee and held their first meeting in Mantralaya on Thursday under the chairmanship of finance minister Jayant Patil.
“We will rope in Ganesh mandals to spread information and awareness about the ill-effects of tobacco and will work closely with other religious and cultural festivals such as Navratri, Banganga festival and Mumbai festival,’’ said Dr Surendra Shastri of Tata Memorial hospital. They will start sensitisation workshops for agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, BEST, railways besides the hotel industry from Ganesh Chaturthi to ensure that anti-tobacco laws are effectively enforced from October 2, the date when the Centre’s new rules come into place.
Mandals themselves are yet unsure of their plans. “We had asked them to give us a proposal but we have space onstraints and it might be difficult to display anti-tobacco messages,’’ said Sunil Joshi chairman of the Lalbaugcha raja.
The conference from March 8 to 12 2009 is a prestigious international event which will attract 2,000 delegates including anti-tobacco ambassadors such as New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and the director general of the World Health Organisation Margaret Chan.
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