Ban surrogate cigarette ads, Ramadoss urges Tamil Nadu

Chennai, Jan 30 : Former union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss Saturday urged the Tamil Nadu government to ban all surrogate cigarette advertisements and implement the law banning smoking in public places in right ernest.

In a statement issued here, Ramadoss asked the government to remove all the cigarette advertisements and leaflets and ban the distribution of freebies on purchase of cigarettes.

"There should be a notice board informing of the ban on smoking in public places and the names of the persons who are responsible to implement the law," Ramadoss said.

Ramadoss, as the health minister, had moved a law banning smoking in public places in 2008. He also brought a law for mandatory pictorial health warnings on tobacco products.

Ramadoss' PMK had complained that its electoral rout in May 2009 Lok Sabha polls was due to the money power of cigarette manufacturers.