The BEST initiative to make city tobacco-free
Continuing its efforts to make the state tobacco-free, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) collaborated with the BEST on Wednesday to flag off buses from Colaba depot bearing anti-tobacco slogans. Around 100 BEST buses will now be plying on different routes in the city displaying tobacco control messages in Hindi and Marathi.
BEST general manager O P Gupta said, BEST has always supported such social initiatives and this time we also want to be a part of the campaign for tobacco-free educational institutions through all our undertakings. As a pilot project, anti-tobacco messages will first be displayed on 100 buses plying across the city.
The initiative is an extension of the recent campaign launched by the FDA, Salaam Bombay Foundation and Tata Memorial Hospital to make schools and colleges in the state tobacco-free by January 25, 2012.
As part of its tobacco-free educational institute campaign, the FDA and its partners have decided to follow a multi-pronged approach that includes banning the sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of schools and colleges and creating awareness.
It is a big step forward that government stakeholders like the BEST are coming forward to help us strengthen our campaign. The focus is on educating the youth about the ill-effects of tobacco consumption, said Dr R A Badwe, director of the Tata Memorial Hospital.