Public Places Declared Smoking-Free But Decisions Remain On Paper

Kathmandu. Although Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Lalitpur Metropolitan City have declared public places as smoking and tobacco-free zones, these decisions have remained only on paper.

Lalitpur Metropolitan City had declared major public places like Patan Durbar Square, Pulchowk, and Jawalakhel as no-smoking zones on February 20, 2022. Immediately after, Kathmandu Metropolitan City also made public its decision on August 16, 2022, to completely ban smoking and tobacco use in public places. However, the effective implementation of this announcement has not been achieved.