Sale of tobacco in hookah bars banned

A report on the action taken has to be submitted to the Court by BBMP on April 30.

Mahtani Enterprises and 11 others had filed a petition in the High Court challenging the ban on hookah bars imposed by the BBMP. They had demanded that BBMP return the hookahs seized during raids on their premises. The contended that it was not an illegal business and BBMP was harassing them and tarnishing their image.

BBMP recently had seized 65 hookahs from hotels across the southern and eastern parts of the City. The department had also issued notices to all the hotels and cafes that were  illegally running the hookah bars.

Yediyur corporator N R Ramesh, who had raised the issue, had said that illegal activities were thriving under the garb of hookah bars. He had said that several bars were using narcotic substances that were harmful to the health of people and that they did not possess trade licences.

Hookah bars are considered “new trades” which do not  feature in the list of trades specified in the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976.