As many as 392 hotels and pubs have been penalised by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on charges of not having Designated Smoking Areas (DSA) and for violating the code of conduct, in the month of December 2022. BBMP had earlier said that DSAs are mandatory in all restaurants, bars, pubs or hotels with more than 30 seats. According to the mandates of BBMP, a smoking area should have walls on four sides, automated doors, and exhaust fans. Further, the DSA should not be located near the entry or exit of the building and should be clearly seperated from the non-smoking area. The area should also be marked with the sign ‘Smoking Area’.
According to reports, BBMP had said that there were 2,385 restaurants in the city where DSAs are mandatory. Dr KV Thrilok Chandra, Special Commissioner (Health) in BBMP had said to TNIE that a total of Rs 1,10,500 has been imposed as fine on all the eateries. BBMP officials also issued warnings to hotels and hookah bars that have not implemented DSA zones.
President of Bruhat Bengaluru Hotel Association (BBHA) PC Rao also said TNIE that DSAs are not idea in non-smoking food places. “Since in pubs and bars, people are drinking, those place should be under radar and not the regular eateries,” he had said.