PESHAWAR, Dec 17: NWFP Health Minister Inayatullah Khan has called for strict enforcement of the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-smokers Ordinance 2002 in the province.

Presiding over a meeting of the task force on prohibition of smoking here on Sunday, the minister asked health and education officials to strictly ban the use of tobacco in offices, hospitals and education institutions, including schools, colleges and universities.

Directives were issued to heads of other government departments to identify ‘open-air smoking areas’ at buildings for habitual smokers.

Officials of education, health, local government, environment, police and transport departments attended the meeting.

The meeting reviewed the process of implementation of the anti-smoking ordinance and finalised a strategy for enforcing the law in letter and in spirit.

The NWFP’s provincial police officer, a member of the task force, said that the sale of cigarettes would be banned at health and educational institutions.

The meeting directed district task forces to keep the chairman of the task force well-informed about the initiatives taken to discourage the menace of smoking.

It decided holding of awareness seminars for media men and district nazims about the prohibition of smoking ordinance.

The meeting directed heads of health projects to prepare billboards carrying anti-smoking slogans to display them at important sites of the city.

It decided that no officer below the status of additional secretary at the secretariat level and at least grade-18 officers from the attached departments would be allowed to attend the meeting of the task force.