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City inspects buildings for smoking violations
Youâve been warned: Officers from the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) inspect Cilandak Town Square mall in South Jakarta on Tuesday for smoking violations
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span class="inline inline-center">You've been warned: Officers from the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) inspect Cilandak Town Square mall in South Jakarta on Tuesday for smoking violations. The inspections will run until June 1. JP/AWO
A few days before World No Tobacco Day is to be observed on May 31, the Jakarta Administration is conducting a series of raids across the city on public places where violations of the official smoking ban are considered to be rife.
A joint team consisting of officers from the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD), the Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), the Jakarta Tourism Agency and the Jakarta Small and Medium Enterprises Agency started the inspections in Cilandak Town Square shopping mall in Cilandak, South Jakarta, on Tuesday.
During the raid, the team found several mall visitors puffing cigarettes in various cafes and restaurants, despite an air pollution control by-law stating that smoking is prohibited in public places, medical facilities, offices, places of education, children's play areas and places of worship.
Most of the smokers looked panicky upon seeing the officers and stubbed out their cigarettes in a hurry when warned, while others, who claimed to be regular visitors to the Cilandak Town Square, insisted they have never been prohibited from smoking in the shopping mall.
'We will not charge any smokers or the shopping mall management during today's operation, as we want to start with raising public awareness about the smoking prohibition in public areas and warn anyone who commits violations,' Jakarta BPLHD Head Gamal Sinurat, who led the raid, told reporters.
However, Gamal emphasized that his agency would not hesitate to revoke the shopping mall's business license if it failed to comply with the regulation.
'There are steps of punishment that we can impose, starting with a first warning to a license revocation,' he continued, adding that besides hitting the shopping mall, the team would also raid other areas, such as public transportation terminals and railway stations.
Separately, Ratmoko, Cilandak Town Square operational division officer, admitted that there were still a number of smoking ban violations in the mall, but argued that he has informed every vendor of the rule and its attendant punishment.
'The problem is that some visitors insist on smoking in the café and restaurant and the waiters do not do anything,' he told The Jakarta Post.
Bylaw No. 75/2005 on air pollution control states that smoking is prohibited in public places and stipulates that anyone violating Article 13 could face a maximum sentence of six months' imprisonment or fines of up to Rp 50 million (US$3,856).
Recent data from Smoke Free Jakarta shows that shopping malls and hotels still permit smoking. The organization found that in February only 26 percent of shopping centers in Jakarta obeyed the smoking ban in public places, while hotels had a slightly better record at 33 percent.
Bernadette Felarrika of Smoke Free Jakarta said the main purpose of the inspection was to raise people's awareness of the prohibition because changing people mind-sets was as important as law enforcement to restore clean air to public places.
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'There are steps of punishment that we can impose, starting with a first warning to a license revocation,'
