BANDUNG, unpas.ac.id – At the end of May, Bandung City Government officially released Regional Regulation No. 4/2021 regarding Non-Smoking Areas (Kawasan Tanpa Rokok, KTR). This regulation is expected to be effective in reducing pollution caused by cigarette smoke and protecting passive smokes in order to create a Clean Bandung (Bandung Bersih).
Public Communication Observer, as well as Universitas Pasundan Vice Rector III, Dr. H. Deden Ramdan, M.Si evaluates that the regulation is quite good, especially when the survey showed that the number of people suffering from the disease caused by smoking is getting high increasingly.
“This is positive thing, since Bandung needs to be clean and pollution-free, which include free from cigarette smoke. Based on the data issued by Rotinsulu Hospital in 2021, the number of lung sufferers in Bandung is getting high. So, there needs to be a Regional Regulation (Peraturan Daerah, Perda) regarding KTR,” he said on Monday (June 21st, 2021)
It needs to be informed that Bandung City Government has set 8 locations of KTR, including health facilities, places for teaching and learning, children’s playground, places of worship/praying, public transportation, offices, public places and other places such as city parks, recreation areas, airports, stations, terminals, cinemas, and sports halls.
Those places are gradually marked with KTR signs and if there are people who are found to be in violation, they will be reprimanded verbally up to a fine of 500 thousand rupiahs. Reportedly, the fine money will be deposited into the regional treasury.
Deden finds out that the regulation will be running optimally if the regional-state apparatuses are consistent and consequent on its implementation. Mayor of Bandung and his staffs (to the lowest level) must work hand-in-hand to enforce the regulations that have been made.
“Based on the findings, hypothetically, effective or not the program is, depends on the attitude of obedience, which is also accompanied by real, clear, and firm actions from the makers and implementers of the rules to those who violate them. In addition, signs and information indicating a smoking ban in those eight areas must also be clarified,” he continued.
Long before the KTR regulations were released, Unpas, as a place for education, had already complied with the smoking ban. Although it is not regulated in writing, there are initiatives from the elements involved to adapt to the environment.
“Regarding the KTR areas, Unpas has already been implementing the regulation conventionally. Self-awareness appeared, not to smoke in campus area: since the campus is ideally smoking-free. Legally and formally, the regulations were not created on our own, but we provide real information. For example, the staff leaders always remind the elements of the academic community under their supervision to maintain a clean campus atmosphere,” he ended. (Reta)