India is taking another stab at controlling secondhand smoke as a new ban on smoking in India's public places went into effect this week, the AFP reported Oct. 1.

The ban comes four years after a similar ban was enacted but barely enforced. "The problem [with the old ban was that] public spaces are a huge sphere, but there was no onus on the person in charge of the public place to implement the law," said Braj Kishore Prasad, the health official in charge of India's antismoking drive.

While the fine for smoking in public places remains the same, the new ban has expanded the definition of "public places" to include college campuses, bars and discos. Establishments must appoint "antismoking officers," according to the new legislation, who will be liable if consumers smoke on premises.

The Indian Tobacco Company, India's major manufacturer of cigarettes, and the country's hotel lobby fought against the ban, but their appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine recently predicted that one in every 10 deaths in India in 2010 would be smoking-related. The Indian government has made smoking a major issue, and Indian celebrities are being urged to set positive examples and stop smoking. "A lot of awareness has been created in the country," said Prasad.

Restaurant and bar owners have reluctantly agreed to comply with the law, but are skeptical about enforcement. "The first one or two weeks there will be a lot of checking," said Q'BA restaurant-bar manager Sunil Tickoo. "It will be like a red-hot pepper has burst, but after that the fire will die down."