Thiruvananthapuram: The hotel industry in the state has decided to turn hotels and restaurants into ‘No smoking’ zones.
Kerala Hotels and Restaurants Association (KHRA), South India Hotels and Restaurants Association (SIHRA) and South Kerala Hoteliers Forum (SKHF), at a meeting here, decided to put up signboards to prevent customers and employees from smoking on their premises.
G.Sudhiesh Kumar, state president of KHRA said that as per tobacco control legislation of 2003, hotels, restaurants, coffee bars, pubs and bars fall under the ambit of public places.
“On the basis of this, hotel and restaurant owners had decided to display signboards warning the public of the hazards of smoking”, Kumar said The law mandates that such boards be placed at the entrance to all hotels and restaurants.
A designated smoking area was to be permitted in hotels with 30 rooms or more and in restaurants, coffee houses, pubs, and bars with a seating capacity of 30 or more, Kumar said.
