NEPAL has banned smoking in public and threatens to punish repeat offenders with steep fines.
Airports, hotels, restaurants, government offices and public transport will now be smoke-free under the new law that went into effect on Sunday.
Health Ministry official Komal Prasad Acharya says government workers will issue fines of 100 rupees to people violating the ban and up to 100,000 rupees for repeat offenders.
More than 40 per cent of Nepalese smoke cigarettes or other tobacco products including hand-rolled bidis and hookah pipes, with more people puffing in the countryside than in cities.