Deputy Inspector General of Pakistan Railway Police directed the Superintendents of Pakistan Railway Police Karachi including the superintendents of railway in all over the country for enforcement of Tobacco Control Law in the territorial jurisdiction of Pakistan Railway Police -PRP.
It was learned that, On 6th December 2019 Dr. Minhaj us Siraj Director General Tobacco Control and M.Aftab Project Manager Tobacco Smoke free cities initiative presented their views regarding the dangerous of tobacco use, importance of Tobacco Control laws enforcement and also distributed the research documents to the participants at Railway Police Training Station/Walton.
After the said session and continuous efforts of Toabcco Control Cell Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation & Coordination the Deputy Inspector General of Pakistan Railways Police Azhar Rashid Khan on 11th December wrote a letter to all the superintendents of Pakistan Railways in which he stated that as per Section 2(e), 6, 14 (a) Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance 2002 “Railways trains have been declared as public service vehicles and no person shall smoke or use tobacco in any form in Public Service Vehicle.
However the DIG Railways have authorized Train Drivers, Conductor Guards,Manager of waiting rooms at Railway Stations , Assistant Sub-Inspector and above officers to act under the said ordinance.
It was also written on the said letter that as per procedure mandated in Section 14, the concerned Magistrate 1st Class shall have the power of summary trial of the offender on the receipt from the police which shall be annexed with documents and evidences including Report or complaint of an authorized person, List of P.Ws, Seizure memo of tobacco smoked etc and other incriminating evidence.
“The PRP train escorts shall be well briefed by the concerned SHOs how to interact with the travelling passengers& train’s crew to prevent or detect the offenders during journey”, it added.
Whereas it was also mentioned on the said letter that No hawker, vendor or waiter shall be allowed to smoke in the trains.
