Hotels and Restaurants to Go Smoke-Free in Bangalore, India

Changes are coming to people’s ability to consume tobacco in India’s third largest city, as a pair of hotel associations have pledged to go smoke-free in their hotels and restaurants.

At a press conference on Monday, the Bruhat Bangalore Hotel Association (BBHA) and the Karnataka Pradesh Hotel and Restaurants Association (KPHRA) announced their support for the state of Karnataka’s Anti-Tobacco Act, and that new signage will soon be implemented in all member hotels, restaurants and pubs declaring the prohibition of tobacco consumption, according to a report on DeccanHerald.com. The signage will also include the contact information of senior members of the association so that complaints can be filed directly with them.

According to The Times of India, of the nearly 6,000 hotels in Bangalore, about 1,500 are members of the BBHA.

There is a significant push in Bangalore to reduce access to and consumption of tobacco by its nearly 10 million residents. During the press conference, KB Eshwarappa, deputy director of the directorate of health and family welfare, told The Times of India that he would like to see the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products banned within a 100-meter radius of bus stands, railway stations and in other public places.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.