Government cracks down on Delhi’s hookah bars, BJP, AAP take credit

On Tuesday, however, AAP denied that the ban had anything to do with the BJP’s campaign. (Representational Image)

The Delhi government Tuesday asked Delhi Police and the municipal corporations to immediately cancel licences of hookah bars across the city. This comes weeks after BJP-SAD MLA and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee Manjinder Singh Sirsa started a campaign seeking a ban on hookah in Delhi and also approached the National Green Tribunal in this regard.

Health Minister Satyendar Jain Tuesday said hookah smoking was not allowed in non-smoking zones as per Section 4 of COTPA (Cigarette and other Tobacco Products Act), as well as in the smoking zones. He added that the Centre had issued a notification in May, with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare completely prohibiting the use of hookahs.

In September, Sirsa had organised an exhibition at Connaught Place in Delhi, where the harms of hookah smoking were displayed. The campaign was launched after a youth, Gurpreet Singh, lost his life after a murderous attack on him when he resisted smoking at a public space. At the time, Sirsa had attacked the AAP government and said, “Hookah bars are destroying the youth of national capital but the government doesn’t care for it.”

On Tuesday, however, AAP denied that the ban had anything to do with the BJP’s campaign.

“Hookah bars in any form are illegal and Delhi Police and municipal corporations should cancel licences of such restaurants, eateries and hotels, where illegal Hookah bars are operating,” Jain said. He added that the State Tobacco Control Cell had conducted several raids in various parts of Delhi, and chemical analysis “has shown presence of nicotine in significant amount in almost all the samples”. This, despite claims that they were only using herbal products, he said.

Jain added, “A series of letters have been written to the Delhi Police and municipal bodies in the last four years to initiate action against these illegally running hookah bars… but violations are still going.”

Leader of Opposition, BJP’s Vijender Gupta, said, “The Hookah bar issue was raised by Sirsa and the BJP. Right now, the AAP is reacting to it and trying to take credit. But the reality is that they did nothing earlier.”

Sirsa said, “I am just glad that the issue has been taken up. But we will have to see what the government does now, and how they implement the ban.”