RAWALPINDI, Nov 18: The district government on Thursday announced strict implementation of the ban on smoking at public places. The implementation would commence within seven days.

A spokesman for the district government said all district offices had been directed to put up prominent signs of No-Smoke Zone. Besides, their staff have been asked to ensure that no one smokes on the premises of the offices.

The officers have also been told not to smoke while in their offices. District Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani and his staff, he said, would lead with their example by not smoking in the secretariat.

All health care units run by the district government - rural health centres, basic health units and tehsil headquarters hospitals - have been told to enforce the ban on their premises.

The in charge doctors and medical superintendents of these healthcare units have been asked to set up separate smoking areas at open places available to them for attendants who smoke.

Similar instructions have been dispatched to the educational institutions where the teachers have been asked not to smoke during the teaching hours of the institutions. However, because of absence of efficient enforcement mechanism the district government has stayed short of ordering the implementation of ban in the public transport.

The federal government had announced a ban on smoking at public places in 2002. However, this ban has not gone into implementation and people continue smoking at will.