The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance and Protyasha yesterday jointly staged a symbolic sit-in programme in the city demanding an end to advertising, publicity and promotional activities of the tobacco companies.

Speakers at the programme in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh in the city stated the tobacco companies attract the youth generation to the tobacco applying various promotional activities in favour of tobacco use like advertising and publicity.

The tobacco companies display tobacco signboards and posters and award gifts and arrange different types of competition, though these are completely unlawful.

They also demanded punishment to law violating tobacco companies through driving mobile court.

Some of 350 infants suffering from malnutrition can be saved from death each day, if their tobacco addicted parents spend 69 per cent of their tobacco expense to purchase nutritious food for the babies, they said quoting Global Adult Tobacco Survey.

General Secretary of Partyasha Helal Ahmed, Rafiqul Islam, Kazi Anyet Hossain, Ibnul Sayeed Rana, Bidhan Chandra Pal and Shamsul Alam, among others, addressed the function.