Bengaluru: Hookah bars continue to operate despite ban | Hookah ban in Bengaluru | Bengaluru News - News9live

Bengaluru: Hookah bars continue to operate despite ban

Hookah ban in Bengaluru: As per reports, hookahs are being served or sold discreetly in - Kammanahalli, Indiranagar, Gandhinagar, Electronics City, Ramanagara, Nandi Hills, and a few other areas. Many cafés and restaurants along Mysuru Road and BHEL Road are also flouting the ban on hookah sale and consumption. The blanket ban was imposed by the Department of Health and Family Welfare across Karnataka on February 7 this year.

Curated By: News9live Staff Published: 13 May 2024 17:48:PM

Hookah ban in Bengaluru: Hookah bars continue to operate despite ban in some parts of the city. (Representational image | Source: Unsplash)

Bengaluru: Even after the Karnataka government put a statewide ban on hookah bars, the Shisha Cafés and Restaurants Association claims that some hookah businesses are still continuing operations in the city center and on the outskirts. The association added areas where hookah are being served or sold discreetly are – Kammanahalli, Indiranagar, and Gandhinagar in central Bengaluru; and Electronics City, Ramanagara, and Nandi Hills on the outskirts.

Restaurants and cafés in these areas are reportedly flouting the hookah ban more openly. Shisha Cafés and Restaurants Association president Mohammad Danish said that many cafés and restaurants along Mysuru Road and BHEL Road are flouting the ban on hookah sale and consumption. The blanket ban was imposed by the Department of Health and Family Welfare across Karnataka on February 7 this year.

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He added, “Nearly 10,000 employees across Bengaluru have been working in hookah bars and cafés. We have been trading hookah traditionally for a very long time. There is no ban on the consumption of alcohol or cigarettes, and despite its ban (of cigarettes) in public places, the consumption continues. Why ban only hookah then? Who cares about our livelihoods?” He said that the association will continue to fight until the ban is lifted.

The Deccan Herald reported Danish saying that a café in Kenchanakuppe near Ramanagara was selling hookah, despite a raid in Basavanagudi. However, cafés in Koramangala and Church Street are complying with the ban.

Reacting to the café and restaurants fluting the norms, a senior police officer said that a team of cops is conducting strict surveillance and raids across the city. He added that strict action will be taken against those found selling or serving hookah. He further said that the police team will take cognizance of citizens’ complaints and take immediate action against those found flouting the norms.