GUWAHATI/JORABAT, May 31 - The District Tobacco Control Cell, Kamrup Metropolitan observed World No Tobacco Day today at the Sri Sri Madhabdev International Auditorium on the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra premises at Panjabari.
On the occasion the organisers presented certificates of appreciation for being tobacco-free campuses to different institutions. The programme started with an art competition among students of different schools on the theme �Tobacco and Lung Health�. This was followed by the welcome address by Dr Mridul Bharati Nath, District Nodal Officer, District Tobacco Control Cell, Kamrup Metropolitan.
A skit was presented by Jagriti Cultural Centre. The speech on ill-effects of tobacco was given by Dr Arundhati Deka, State Nodal Officer, State Tobacco Control Cell, Assam. Special guest Dr Amal Chandra Kataki, Director, Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute; invited guest Dr LR Bishnoi, ADGP, Assam and invited guest Chetana Das, actress, also gave brief speeches on the theme. The programme was attended by students from different schools, colleges, universities etc.
At airports: World No Tobacco Day was observed at all the airports of the north-eastern region under the Airports Authority of India today. The programme started with a pledge-taking ceremony to promote tobacco-free premises and oath to say �no� to tobacco in daily life. The oath was administered at LGBI Airport by the officiating Regional Executive Director at Regional HQ, Guwahati and by all the respective airport directors (APDs) at their airports and stations.
In their message to the employees and stakeholders, the APDs highlighted the health and other related risks of consuming tobacco. The APDs also held sensitisation sessions for advocating reduction in the use of tobacco personally and making the members of their families regarding the same.
Messages of harmful effects of tobacco were displayed through banners and posters at the terminal buildings of the NER airports. The messages were also electronically displayed at all prominent points of the airports.
Notices and messages like �premise/ building is tobacco-free� and �you are entering tobacco free zone� were placed at arrival and departure points of the passenger movement areas at the terminal buildings.
Tribune Sports Club programme: Despite knowing its fatal effects on health, approximately 1.2 crore people in the State are consuming different forms of tobacco and at least 40 lakh of them would die unnatural deaths due to tobacco-related ailments. The deaths might be slow, but the figures are scarier than any major earthquakes or tsunami.
Dr Amal Chandra Kataki, Director, Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI), Guwahati made the above observation while taking part in a World No Tobacco Day programme organised by the Assam Tribune Sports Club on the Tribune Building premises today.
Expressing concern at the fact that the tobacco consumption graph in the State is heading north, Dr Kataki said that since more than 90 per cent people know about the ill-effects of tobacco, awareness must also be clubbed with proper assistance in helping people quit tobacco.
Dr Tashnin Rahman, also from BBCI, while taking part in the programme, spoke about the high prevalence of head and neck cancer in Kamrup Metro and tongue cancer in Meghalaya.
�What is more concerning that in the North East, tobacco consumption is alarmingly high among the children under 18 years. It needs mention that 90 per cent of oral cancer is related to tobacco,� she said.
Both Dr Kataki and Dr Rahman highlighted the need for an effective implementation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) and also society�s active role in tobacco control, especially among minors. They also laid emphasis on early detection of cancer and the methods of self-examination of the symptoms related to oral cancer.
Earlier, Assam Tribune Sports Club president Hiranya Kumar Barman spoke about the activities of the club, which also include a number of welfare activities. He also said that the sports club premises have been declared as a �no tobacco zone�.
The programme included recitation of a poem written by Debaraj Kalita and vote of thanks by sports club secretary Bhaskar Das.
At NECHRI: The North East Cancer Hospital and Research Institute (NECHRI) at Jorabat took out a rally on the occasion. Over 70 employees of NECHRI took part in the rally which was supported by Jorabat Press Club and MD India.
Speaking on the occasion, NECHRI managing director Dr MN Baruah said tobacco is a curse for the world. �Tobacco does not contain any vitamin or minerals. Everybody knows that it contains harmful materials. It acts as a silent killer. Tobacco is the reason for many life-threatening diseases including cancer, but still it is widely consumed all over the world. If we want to prevent dreaded diseases like cancer then we should decide whom we should love: tobacco or life,� he said.
As a member of Union of International Cancer Control, Dr Baruah made many publications about tobacco and its ill-effects on health.
Down Town Hospital programme: On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, city-based Down Town Hospital today organised an awareness session for the staff, students and the attendants of the patients on tobacco and oral cancer on the hospital premises.
Dr Diganta Kumar Das, senior consultant, onco-surgery at Down Town Hospital, delivered a talk, while the session was chaired by Dr SN Mukherjee, senior consultant in the Department of ENT.
At Dispur College: No Tobacco Day was observed at Dispur College here by the Kamrup District Legal Services Authority in collaboration with Divine Hand Welfare Organisation.
The occasion was marked by a walkathon starting from the college campus and passing around Ganeshguri and back to the college. Pradip Kumar Bhattacharya, president of Divine Hand Welfare Organisation, flagged off the walkathon.
Achyut Kumar Patowary, senior journalist of Asomiya Pratidin; Dr Amar Saikia, Principal of Dispur College; Dr Sunita Agarwalla, NSS Officer and writer Sabita Devi spoke as guests of honour, a press release said.
