Tobacco use is cause of serious diseases and death, so that it needs
to be controlled strongly to save people from tobacco related death. It
is constitutional responsibility to the government and policy makers to
amendment the tobacco control law as the draft is approved by cabinet
division recently in a meeting presided by the Prime Minister. The
amendment should be pass in the next parliament session.
Speakers made the statement at meeting on publication ceremony of
“Tobacco control in Bangladesh” Bengali version at afternoon, 18 January
at Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust office in Dhaka.
In this publication ceremony, Mr. Abu Naser Khan, eminant
environmentalist and Chairman of Poribesh Bachao Andolon-POBA (Save the
Environment Movement), Helal Ahmed, General Secretary of Pratysha Anti
Drug Organization, Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam, Director of WBB Trust
and Shagufta Sultana, Program Coordinator, National Anti TB Association
of Bangladesh (NATAB) spoke. Event was moderated by Aminul Islam Sujon,
Project Coordinator of WBB Trust.
Environmentalist and Chairman of Save the Environment Movement (POBA)
Abu Naser Khan said food security threatened for the dangerous tobacco
farming in the arable land. Farmers will be encouraged to cultivate food
grains if marketing of agro products is developed. He added that
tobacco control is not only govt.’s duty it requires concerted efforts.
In this event, Mr. Saifuddin Ahmed; Coordinator of Bangladesh Anti
Tobacco Alliance (BATA), Ibnul Sayed Rana; Chairman of Nirapad
Development Foundation, Md. Amir Hasan; Chairman of Green Mind Society,
Md. Hasinur Rahman; Executive Director of BOUKAS, Md. Mahbul Haq;
Executive Director of BCHRD, Murad Bhuyan; Executive Director of SARDA,
Md. Nazmul Haider; Program Officer of YPSA, H M Mamun; Program Officer
of ACLAB, Dilara Mahrab and Isaba Farheen from EC Bangladesh, Syeda
Anonna Rahman; National Advocacy Officer of WBB Trust were present.