Mindless smoking goes on inside children's park

Smokers light up cigarettes inside the Zia Shishu Park ignoring signs stating 'smoke-free zone'.Photo: STAR

Children are being subjected to indiscriminate passive smoking besides having to put up with outdated, worn out and boring rides at Shaheed Zia Shishu Park in the capital.
Even though smoking in public places including the Shaheed Zia Shishu Park has been banned by the government, the adults visiting the park or the authorities do not seem to be least bothered to comply with the law.
Shaheed Zia Shishu Park is one of the few amusement parks in this heavily populated capital city where children from all walks of life can have a little recreation.
Though exclusively designated for children below twelve years of age, the children's park is teeming with adults who are seen smoking inconsiderately near the food stores on the park premises while the security personnel on duty act as mere onlookers, observed concerned visitors.
"I have been noticing this for a long time that the parents and guardians accompanying their children to the Shishu Park usually hang around inside the park with one hand holding on to their children while puffing a cigarette with the other hand," said AQM Mahfuzullah from Shahjahanpur.
"Aren't these people aware of the harmful effects of second-hand smoking -- especially on children?" wondered Mahfuzullah.
On the one hand, smoking inside a children's park puts the children in harms way. On the other hand, it ruins the fresh air inside the park, violating the government ban.
"Smoking in the Shishu Park is not only a gross violation of government policies, it is also immensely detrimental to the well-being of children," said Aminul Islam from Mirbagh, who was visiting the park with his two daughters.
The Shaheed Zia Shishu Park was declared a no smoking zone following the implementation of Smoking and Tobacco Act 2005.
Though several signs stating 'smoke-free zone' are posted throughout the park premises, cigarette butts littered all over the park ground prove how well the authorities are enforcing the policy. Smokers casually lighting up cigarettes inside the park is a very common sight, making one wonder if the 'no smoking' signs are for decoration only.
"Even the employees and officials [of the park] smoke inside the park carelessly," said a security guard stationed at the Shaheed Zia Shishu Park. "We forbid it when we see someone lighting up a cigarette, but it's not possible to keep everyone in check as thousands visit the park everyday," he added.
Nurul Haque, assistant engineer of Shaheed Zia Shishu Park, claimed that the authorities try their best to prevent smoking on the park premises.
"You cannot expect us to check every single visitor if they are carrying cigarettes on them. It would also be quite preposterous to remind everyone that smoking is prohibited inside the park since there are signs everywhere to remind them of that," said Haque.
"We forbid it when we see someone smoking inside the park. But sometimes it is not possible to keep everyone in check," he added.
The picture of the Shaheed Zia Shishu Park is just a foretaste of the overall picture of smoking in public in the city.
Despite the ban on smoking in public places stirred a surge of awareness amongst the majority of the smoking population, the law remains far from being properly executed in the city.
With an aim to discourage smoking and sale of cigarettes and tobacco products, the Smoking and Tobacco Control Act 2005 imposed a ban on smoking at public places and in public transports. Advertisement of tobacco products has also been banned.
However, city dwellers remain quite confused about the law particulars as it failed to clearly define the places off limits to smokers.
"I'm aware that that government has prohibited smoking in public places and public transports but I'm still not sure about the places under the prohibition," said Sharif Mahmud, a student of Dhaka University. "Which places and transports are defined as public should have been made clear to us," he added.