Kathmandu: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) is set to impose a total ban on the sale of tobacco products across all 32 wards starting from December 13, 2023. The KMC Health Department Chief, Ram Prasad Poudel, announced that the selling, storage, and use of tobacco products packaged in plastic will be fully prohibited in all metropolis wards.

The ban encompasses various tobacco products, including cigarettes, beedi, tamakhu, sulfa, kakkad, raw tobacco packaged in plastic, chewing tobacco, gutkha, paan parag, and others. KMC Police will be tasked with seizing such products if found being sold. Chief Poudel emphasized that this initiative aligns with the goal of making Kathmandu a healthy city. The decision to ban tobacco-based products aims to address health concerns and environmental impacts, coinciding with the 29th KMC Day.

The prohibition is grounded in Clause 42 of the Public Health Act issued by the KMC in 2080 BS. This provision is being rigorously enforced to mitigate the adverse effects of tobacco product use on individual health. Tobacco control is identified as a critical measure for enhancing public health and environmental conditions in the city. Additionally, the KMC is reportedly preparing to implement a program to control hukka in the second phase of its health initiatives.