Noida hospital penalised for flouting norms on smoking in public places

Jaypee Hospital here was penalised by the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration Thursday for flouting norms on smoking in public place, officials said.

A team of experts from the district Tobacco Regulation Committee had carried out a surprise inspection at the hospital in Sector 128 when the violations surfaced, the officials said.

The action has been taken in compliance with the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003.

According to a statement by the administration, the law prohibits smoking in a public place and calls for compulsory anti-tobacco advertisements in hospitals.

"But during the inspection, it came to light that no anti-tobacco advertisements were in place in the hospital while several people were smoking in its parking area," the statement read.

"For the violation of Section 4 of COTPA, a notice was issued to the hospital for a total of 150 violations and a penalty of Rs 30,000 imposed on them," it said.

The notice was sent to the chief executive office of the hospital, who has been given seven days time to respond and warned of action if the violations were repeated, the statement said.