CAB Chittagong Organized Advocacy Meeting on Tobacco Control
To safe the future generation, stop tobacco cultivation and use
About 1.1 million people are engaged in smoking and if it continues by 2025 it will be 1.6 Billion and around 5 cro people will die for tobacco use finding from World Bank reports. The findings also say in 2007 57 thousands people died in Bangladesh to use tobacco and most of them are low income people. The Bangladesh annual development budget is 25 thousand cro but the tobacco industries handling 10 thousand cro. If the taxes will increase for cigarettes then national revenue will increase 4.11% and it will increase 70% then it will goes to 29%. Due decrease the fertility in the paddy land tobacco cultivation diverted to Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Chittagong Hill tracts from Rangpur. 11 lac hectors of land cultivated for tobacco in Cox's Bazar district only, so it hamper the crops cultivation in this areas and which is the cause of food crisis. The findings were shared at the Advocacy Meeting Tobacco Control on 9 November 2008 at Caritas Auditorium, Chittagong... The meeting was organized by Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Chittagong and World Health Organization (WHO) Bangladesh..
CAB Chittagong Regional President S M Nazer Hossain was presided over the meeting; Mr. A B M Azad Additional District Magistrate Chittagong was Chief Guest, Amongst others CAB central Programme Officer Mr. Emdad Hossain Malek, Ex Secretary BMA Chittagong and Professor Chittagong Medical Collage Dr. AQM Sirajul Islam, Director Chittagong Chambers of Commece & Industries Mr. Mahfuzul Hoque Shah, President Bangladesh Teachers Association Abdul Wahab Chy, CAB City President Absar Khan, Deputy Chief Reporter of Daily Suprbhat Ali Haider, Ex President of Chittagong Union of Journalist(CUJ) Anzon Sen, Secretary of Trinamul nagorik Committee, Chittagong Hossain Shahid Mifti, Secreatry Jila Smazik Uddokta Parishad Ajoy Mitra Shaknu, Columnist Musa Khan, Journalist Nurul Mustafa Quzi, Abu Mosharaf Rasel, Niripam Das, Agriculturist Mohammed Younus, Sahadot Hossain, Nasir Uddin Anik and women activist laila Ibarhim banu spoken on the occasion. Mr. Quazi Iqbal Bahar Sabery, Secretary CAB Chittagong moderated the meeting.
Additional District Magistrate AMB Azad gives emphasis to undertake campaign to stop the use and production of tobacco at community and family level. He assured the participants mobile court will conducted to stop smoking in public space and he welcome consumers support to develop social campaign to ensure consumers rights.
Speakers say smoking is the gate to addiction, if we are not able to stop it, the future generation will be more vulnerable for drug uses. Speakers criticized the activities of tobacco companies to advertise the young generation to tobacco use by gift and others was, which is serious violation of Tobacco control act 2005. As per tobacco control act about one third of the cigarettes packets must cover with warnings but the companies are not ensure it , and they are advertising their products through bill board, sign board and still now public places are not smoke free. Due to not functioning the act use and production of tobacco is not decreasing. Besides speakers also condemn the companies to encourage tobacco cultivation through providing incentive, seed, fertilizer and loan, which is prohibited in the tobacco control act. They also emphasis to raise awareness to inform the bad impact of tobacco cultivation which is damaging the fertility of paddy filed and health of farmers. Amongst others journalist, teachers, law enforcing agencies, business group, NGOs and human rights workers attend the meeting.
Reported:
Subrata Kr Bala
Divisional Programme Organizer(DPO), CAB Chittagong
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Consumers Association of Bangladesh(CAB) Chittagong
House # 339 Road # 14 Block-B Chandgaon R/A, Chittagong-4212, Bangladesh
Tel: 031-671727, 04433382351, 01911602020, 01713110054
