November 29: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has decided to completely ban the sale of tobacco products in all of its 32 wards from December 13.    
The KMC’s Health Department Chief Ram Prasad Poudel said that selling, storage and use of tobacco products packed in plastics shall be fully prohibited in all the 32 wards of the metropolis from December 13.    
According to him, all tobacco products such as cigarettes, beedi, tamakhu, sulfa, kakkad, raw tobacco packaged in plastics, chewing tobacco, gutkha, paan parag and others will be strictly banned.      
Poudel said that the KMC Police will seize such products if found sold in the market.

"We have launched a campaign to make Kathmandu a healthy city. We have decided to ban the storage, sale and use of tobacco-based products that are harmful for the people's health and the environment, coinciding with the 29th KMC Day," said the KMC Health Department Chief Poudel.    
He said this provision is included in Clause 42 of the Public Health Act which the KMC issued in 2080 BS. The provision in the Act is being strictly implemented in a bid to reduce the adverse effects tobacco products is having on public health.    
Tobacco control is the first condition for improving the public health and environment in the city. -- RSS