By IANS,
New Delhi : Carrying on their anti-smoking campaign, students, teachers and officials of Delhi University (DU), who have already turned the campus into a no-smoking zone, will hold a march against tobacco use Friday on the eve of “World No Tobacco Day”.
The “No Tobacco March”, organized in association with voluntary organisation World Lung Foundation, will also have police officials participating in the march.
“I, along with a couple of other friends, will take part in the march in the university, which will conclude with an oath ‘Say no to tobacco’,” said Avnish Sharma, a post-graduate student of DU.
“I used to smoke earlier, but after I saw one of my relatives, a chain smoker, succumbing to lung cancer, I quit smoking. This cause, therefore, is something I feel very strongly about,” he added.
Earlier this year, DU was declared a no-smoking zone – an initiative of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) with support of the Delhi government.
First-time offenders are fined Rs.200 if caught smoking on the campus. They are fined Rs.500 if caught again.
Amrita Bahari, president of the DUSU, said: “This march is yet another initiative of ours to fight against tobacco usage.”
“Through declaration of the university campus as a no-smoking zone and taking out this march, we are trying to reach across to the people, especially the youth, with the message that tobacco can bring you nothing but destruction,” she said.