OUR UNSUNG HEROES

Kicking the butt
On October 2, 2008, when the health ministry announced that all public places in India would be smoke-free, Chandigarh didn't have to do a thing to enforce the new rules. For, it had already bagged the distinction of becoming the first smoke-free city in the country more than a year ago. Kicking the butt is never easy but the initiative of one man made all the difference.
Meet Hemant Goswami, whose commitment against tobacco use goes back to a school project he did in 1987. By 2004, Goswami had become a full-time activist. He filed a writ petition as a result of which the High Court ordered the government to follow the Tobacco Act in letter and spirit.
In 2005, when the Right to Information Act (RTI) came into force, Hemant decided to use it to make Chandigarh the first smoke-free city. He filed over 300 RTI petitions with all government departments and offices, raising questions about their adherence to tobacco control laws. In a year, more than 1,800 signboards warning people of the health implications of smoking were up in all government offices. Educational institutes too fell in line.
To keep the momentum going, Hemant lobbied with the Chandigarh police which agreed to initiatate an enforcement drive as well as train policemen on provisions of the law.
In just a month, compliance crossed 70% and the administration became serious about the 'Smoke-free City' initiative. Finally, in July 2007, Chandigarh was declared smoke-free.
But Hemant wasn't about to stop. "We were that sustaining this effort is going to be a challenge." Since the Government lacked an enforcement mechanism, Hemant formed independent monitoring teams and made sure violations are reported. He sure is determined to smoke them out.