A recent mass media campaign by the licensing department of Delhi Police has advised “all eating houses, restaurants, hotels, guest houses, cinema halls and auditoria” to display the message “No Smoking Area- Smoking here is an offence” on their premises.

To ensure that the sign does not go unnoticed, owners had been told to ensure that the signboard is at least 60cm x 30 cm and is placed prominently at the entrance.

However, even as most restaurant owners in Delhi promptly displayed the sign, they seem to be in no hurry to actually implement the ban. “We have not received any written instructions from the Delhi Police. We only know through the media that we have to put up these signs, so we have put them,” said the manager of a popular restaurant in Connaught Place

And, most restaurant owners seem to be under the impression that they can still run a smoking zone so long as they display the no smoking sign. However, Delhi Police PRO Rajan Bhagat says, “No ‘smoking zone’ is allowed in any restaurant, bar, or nightclub. Those found smoking will be fined.”

Smokers like Prabal Singh (28), meanwhile, find the idea of a smoking ban impractical. “I have been hearing of it for the last five years but exactly how do they intend to ensure the ban is implemented. There are too many smokers and too few enforcers,” he says. Payal Chopra, an “occasional smoker”, says the ban may “actually be a good idea”. “While I smoke once in a while, I do realise that it can be quite an inconvenience to non-smokers. Passive smoking is as harmful as smoking. If implemented correctly, many non-smokers will heave a sigh or relief,” she says.

Some smokers, meanwhile, wonder whether the ban will result in popular social phenomena such as smirting and smexting in the Capital. “The smoking ban in Dublin completely backfired when people started smoking outside pubs and restaurants in the hope that they will meet like minded people. A post-ban survey pointed out that the number of social smokers had actually risen,” says Irena, an exchange student from Dublin, and a fan of Smirting—smoking and flirting.

Similarly, in Britain, the popular mobile service provider Orange reported a surge in text messages after the ban on public smoking was announced. Apparently, many smokers sent text messages seeking advice on how to quit. They called it Smexting.