The smoking ban in public places comes into force in India tomorrow, 02 Oct 2008 which is also celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti. Even as India prepares for the smoking ban in public placess the high court in switzerland has struck down a similar smoking ban in public places in Geneva saying that the local government had overstepped its powers. This even after 80 % of the voters favored the ban.

This brings up an interesting question with respect to the smoking ban in public places in India. Even though the ban is being promulgated at the behest of the Central government, are they not similarly overstepping their powers.

The smoking ban without stopping the production of cigarettes is akin to keeping candies at home and not allowing your children to have them. The futility of the exercise. I mean, if you don't want your kids to have the candies, why get them home at all. This act is brutal and amounts to harrassment.

The powers that be are confused on the issue. Didn't anyone tell them that you can't make everyone happy. If they are so convinced about the ill-effects of smoking why are they allowing the cigarette companies to flourish in this land. On the one hand they want to appear to be good to the public showing unsolicited concern towards them, on the other hand they do not want to lose, votes and the money which comes in from the tobacco companies. They also do not know how to deal with the unemployment which will be caused by shutting down the cigarette manufacturers.

Do they want to have their cake and eat it too? Yes! They just don't care who dies and for what reason. They have left it to providence. The cigarettes will be available, so anyone who insists can put in sufficient hard work and effort,while choosing to smoke and if he dies because of a smoking related illness, so be it. If a majority of people stop smoking, the tobacco industry will cut jobs and if people die of unemployment and hunger, the government can't be blamed, since they are taking the step in the larger good of the public. Moreover if someone is fired it is because of his / her performance. How can you blame the government or the company for that?

What an irony? India is the largest producer of tobacco in the world at about 700 million Kilograms annually. There are 14 big cigarette manufacturing companies and hundreds of bidi maufacturers. there are lakhs and lakhs of retailers in the country. All of them along with the smokers are going to suffer in the hands of this government decision.

Fact is the government does not want to take responsibility for anything and may not be having convictions in their own ideas.