Inter-ministerial coordination is essential to make Bangladesh Railways completely tobacco-free. Additionally, building the capacity of railway officials is crucial to achieving this goal. However, there are challenges due to the lack of coordination among the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Finance, said Mir Alamgir Hossain, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Railways.
He made these remarks on Tuesday (December 10, 2024) during the South Asia Tobacco Control Leadership Program in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The event, which began on December 9, will continue until December 13. The five-day program is organized by the Institute of Global Tobacco Control of Johns Hopkins University.
In a presentation titled “Smoke-Free Policies in Bangladesh: Railway Initiatives,” Alamgir Hossain noted that several tobacco control initiatives have been undertaken by amending the Railway Act of 1890. Under current law, smoking, including cigarettes, inside trains is a punishable offense. As part of efforts to make the railway completely tobacco-free, the second phase of an ongoing project began in March 2024 and will continue until February 2025. To ensure a smoke-free environment for passengers, smoking inside trains has been prohibited, and the sale of cigarettes in platform areas has been restricted.
He also mentioned that out of Bangladesh’s 450 railway stations, initiatives have been taken to make 50 stations entirely tobacco-free. These efforts have led to the Ministry of Railways receiving the National Tobacco Control Award 2023 and WHO South Asian Award in 2024.
On the second day of the leadership program, during the second session, Alamgir Hossain presented Bangladesh’s tobacco control activities. The session, titled “Country-Specific Examples of Implementing Smoke-Free Environments in South Asia,” was moderated by Steve Tamplin, Associate Scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH). D. Rana Singh, South Asian Regional Deputy Director of Vital Strategies, also presented an overview of tobacco control initiatives in India.
The ongoing program is attended by doctors, tobacco control advocates, and journalists from Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. A total of 22 representatives from Bangladesh are participating in the event.
