DENPASAR ~

Head of Department of Health of Denpasar City dr. Luh Putu Armini urged people to obey Bali Regional Regulation on Smoke-Free Zones (KTR).

Luh Putu Armini expected the presence of KTR regulation will make people aware to not to smoke in forbidden areas. If there is a violation, will be given sanction in accordance with the regulation.

“To enforce the KTR, relevant agencies should do supervision, strict punishment will be given if someone caught smoking in smoke-free zones,” she said.

To control KTR, she said, she formed a joint team consisting of the municipal police, legal and other relevant agencies.

“The socialization of the billboards and such thing deals with cigarette advertising has begun to decline. This means that the level of public awareness has also increased,” she stated.

Meanwhile the chairman of Bali Tobacco Control Initiative (BTCI) Made Kerta Duana, asked the local governments and regencies in Bali to seriously curb cigarette advertising billboards in accordance with the spirit of the Regional Regulation on smoke-free zones (KTR).”Local governments and regencies should seriously curb billboard of cigarette advertising, because Bali has Local Regulation on KTR. By that action it will certainly impact on the decrease on smokers number, even though including reduce on tax income on the advertisement,” he said.

He said that in KTR regulation there is rule about installation of billboards related to smoking. But currently have been discovered billboards that are close to the KTR area.

“It should be disciplined, do not be afraid that local government would lose taxes from cigarette advertising, but more importantly, how to make society not to be affected by the ad,” he said.

Kerta Duana advised local governments through local municipal police in the area to continue to monitor and do inspection to some places.

“The authorities should uninstall the cigarette advertisement that violates the rules and installation beyond the deadline or expiration,” he said.