Railway Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan said all areas including railway stations, platforms and train compartments have been declared smoke and tobacco free.
Anyone who disobeys the law will be brought under punishment, he mentioned.
The Railway Minister made the statement while speaking at the inaugural function of the project titled “Initiative to make Bangladesh Railways Tobacco Free '' adopted by the Ministry of Railways at Rail Bhaban in the capital.
Sujan said, “It is not possible to stop public smoking just through legislative initiatives, or by expanding the campaign if the source of tobacco cannot be stopped. It is forbidden to smoke in public on the railways.”
At the beginning of the train journey, steps should be taken to prevent passengers from traveling by train with tobacco products, he said, adding that it will be implemented with the cooperation of all concerned with the plan at the field level.
The project has been taken up by the Ministry of Railways based on a full grant funded by The Union, an international organization based in the United States.
The purpose of this project is to protect children, women, sick people, pregnant women and non-smoking passengers from the effects of secondhand smoke.
The project also aims to play a helpful role in building a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040, as envisioned by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
