25 July 2009 / TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES, İSTANBUL
Owners of Manisa establishments where smoking is essential to the customer experience are looking to their rooftops for a solution to prevent the new indoor smoking ban from stopping business.
One of these businesspeople is Nuri Bilenler, who runs a Manisa coffeehouse. He had the roof of his building removed following the implementation of a nationwide ban on smoking at indoor public facilities that went into force on July 19. Bilenler said this was the only way to follow the law and ensure customer satisfaction by allowing them to smoke nargile and cigarettes at their leisure. “In order to adhere to the indoor smoking ban and also make customers happy, I removed the rooftop. Later, I called [municipal] authorities to perform an inspection of the space to make sure it was up to code. They said that the consumption of tobacco products is permissible in this space, so I'm happy, and my customers are happy,” Bilenler said.Regional Health Assistant Manager Tuncay Özer said that teams from his department came to perform an inspection at Bilenler's request. “We saw that he'd removed the roof, and we informed him that it was permissible for tobacco and tobacco products to be consumed in this space as it is. But if for any reason he is to erect a tent, a canvas or any other sort of covering over the building, if people are smoking in that space, a fine will be applied,” he said.
