BITTER PILL Smoking ban will affect business: Shack owners

BITTER PILL
Smoking ban will affect business: Shack owners
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: Even as the government is gearing up to prohibit smoking in public places from October 2, owners of pubs and shacks claim that this move ‘would affect their business and reduce their clientele’.
“More than 90% tourists, especially foreigners, who come to the shacks come to drink, smoke, make merry and enjoy the beauty of the sea. If we ask them not to smoke, then it will reduce our clientele and affect tourism,” said All Goa Shack Owners Welfare Association president, Cruz Cardozo. He said that they would be making a representation to the government to relax the ban for the tourists who visit the shacks, as 90% of the guests smoke. “We can’t stop our guests from smoking, we can only request them not to smoke. We hope the government would grant us permission to place tables and chairs outside the shack so that people who want to smoke, can sit at the beach and smoke,” said shack owner from Betalbatim Inacio Fernandes.
According to Dr Shekhar Salkar, general secretary of an NGO National Organization for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), “If a shack has sitting capacity of more than 31, they should have smoking
zone. If the number is less than 30, then they should be smoke free. The deck beds belong to the shack owner and it should also be smoke free.”
The government of India has notified revised rules on the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places on 30 May 2008, which would be enforced by the Goa government in the state from October 2. As per the revised rules, smoking is banned in shopping malls, cinema halls, public/private work places, hotels, banquet halls, discotheques, canteens, coffee houses, pubs, bars, airport lounges and railway stations.
A few shack owners state that there is a need to create awareness amongst tourists about the smoking ban to avoid any confrontations. “If someone comes smoking into the shack, we can’t ask them to leave. It is inhospitable and would affect business. But we will request them to go and sit on the deck beds placed on the beach and smoke,” said a shack owner from Arambol, Suresh Barde.
Meanwhile, some of the night pubs have decided to adhere to the government policy. R Chandrashekar, director of finance, Goa Marriott Resort, said that they will abide by the law in letter and spirit.
“Smoking will be prohibited in the entire hotel premises as prescribed by the Act .We have always been cooperative towards every government policy,” he added.

September 29, 2008,The Times of India, Goa edition