DHAKA : To protect public health and safeguard the general public from the harms of secondhand smoke, necessary steps will be taken to make public transport smoke-free, announced Md. Yasin (Grade-1), Chairman of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). He also urged the concerned officials to take appropriate steps to install anti-smoking and awareness signage in BRTA offices.
Additionally, he suggested that awareness programs be launched jointly by members of the Dhaka Ahsania Mission Youth Forum and BRTA at bus stands, BRTA circle offices, and other relevant locations to raise public consciousness.
On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day 2025, he made these remarks during a discussion meeting titled “Steps to Ensure Smoke-Free Public Transport”, jointly organized by Dhaka Ahsania Mission and BRTA at the BRTA conference room. He further stated that mobile courts should be conducted through magistrates to prevent violations of the tobacco control law at bus stands and on public transport, and that drivers and helpers should be held accountable if smoking occurs on the vehicle.
The event was presided over by BRTA Chairman (Grade-1) Md. Yasin, with a welcome speech delivered by Dr. Mohammad Khalilullah, Vice President of Dhaka Ahsania Mission.
In the keynote presentation, Shariful Islam, Coordinator of the Tobacco Control Project at Dhaka Ahsania Mission, highlighted data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2017, noting that around 37.8 million people in the country use tobacco products. Of them, 19.2 million are smokers, while nearly 40 million non-smokers are exposed to secondhand smoke. He also pointed out that many people are exposed to secondhand smoke while using public transport, with GATS 2017 indicating that 44.0% of public transport users are affected.
Speakers at the event emphasized that smoking by drivers and their assistants leads to passive smoking exposure for passengers—especially women and children—making them equally vulnerable despite being non-smokers.
The speakers further stressed that to make public transport under BRTA 100% smoke-free, proper planning is essential for the enforcement of penalties stipulated in the tobacco control law for smoking in public places and transport. Measures must be taken so that neither passengers nor drivers or helpers smoke in public vehicles.
They also recommended raising awareness among transport owners and operators about the health risks of tobacco use and the provisions of the amended Tobacco Control Law (2013). Additionally, they proposed printing anti-smoking awareness messages on bus tickets.
Other attendees at the event included Highway Police DIG Muntasirul Islam, Vice President of the Road Transport Owners’ Association Professor Iqbal Hossain, DNCC Executive Magistrate Shahidul Islam, Traffic Police Assistant Commissioner Delwar Hossain, BRTA Director (Engineering) Shitangshu Shekhar Biswas, BRTA Director (Enforcement) Nazneen Hossain, and Mokhlesur Rahman, Deputy Director of Dhaka Ahsania Mission’s Health Sector, along with other senior BRTA officials.
