Bengaluru, August 30: On Tuesday, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike  (BBMP) has issued a circular saying that all public places, including eateries, and hotels should be declared smoke-free zones. According to a Times of India report, smoking will be allowed in a restricted, designated area only after getting a NOC from BBMP tobacco control cell.

The intention is to protect the rights of the non-smokers and curb the effects of passive smoking. The NOC is available for restaurants, pubs with seating arrangement of more than 30 people. Breathing Secondhand Smoke Increases Risk of Heart Diseases by 30%.

"Currently, most of the hotels have self-designated smoking areas, which are a complete violation of the existing laws. The owner of these establishments should remove such illegal smoking zones or it would lead to the cancellation of the trade licence. Henceforth, it will become mandatory for these establishments to obtain a no-objection certificate from BBMP," said Manjunath Prasad, BBMP Commissioner as quoted in the report.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 30, 2018 01:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).