Cops get SOS to enforce Coffee House puff ban
Zeeshan Javed | TNN | Feb 3, 2019, 06:32 IST
A sign put up by Coffee House authorities informing patrons it is a no-smoking zoneKOLKATA: Manna Dey’s ‘Coffee house er shei adda ta aaj ar nei’ remains one of the most popular songs about one of Kolkata’s most iconic addresses. But the frequent arguments between regulars and the staff at the Indian Coffee House over implementing the 12-year-old no-smoking ban is hardly music to the ears. And now, Indian Coffee Workers’ Co-operative Society Limited that runs the iconic cafe on College Street has sent an SOS to the police, seeking help to implement the no-smoking ban on their premises.
They said guests who have been coming to the cafe for several decades now refuse to stub out their cigarettes and, in many cases, the situation has turned ugly with staffers getting attacked. Nobody could recall a previous instance where an establishment had to seek police help to implement the ban. Last November, a customer and a waiter got into a scuffle when the latter asked the patron to stub out his cigarette.
“The Coffee House is a nosmoking zone, but many customers are still continuing to smoke. We have also displayed pictures and posters against smoking but the customers ignore our request. You are requested to take necessary steps against smoking on Coffee House premises at the earliest,” the complaint to Amherst Street police station read.
The society’s secretary, Tapan Kumar Pahari, confirmed they have sought police help to implement the no-smoking ban, but refused to comment further. But other employees who regularly interact with customers said enforcing the ban was backfiring, with many guests threatening to assault them. “Most of our guests are regulars who have been coming for decades. The other section comprises students who sit here for hours and have coffee and cigarettes. If we stop them from smoking, they threaten us. At times, scuffles have broken out too,” said an employee of Coffee House.
At any point of the day, the hall buzzes like a beehive, packed with regulars, steady wisps of cigarette smoke rising to the balcony above. “The who’s who of the city have downed several cups of coffee over several cigarettes over decades. It is a slice of the Kolkata of yore. They should try to make a separate smoking zone inside instead of doing away with smoking altogether,” said Shutanuka Roy, a former student of Calcutta University who herself has spent several hours at Coffee House over the years.
They said guests who have been coming to the cafe for several decades now refuse to stub out their cigarettes and, in many cases, the situation has turned ugly with staffers getting attacked. Nobody could recall a previous instance where an establishment had to seek police help to implement the ban. Last November, a customer and a waiter got into a scuffle when the latter asked the patron to stub out his cigarette.
“The Coffee House is a nosmoking zone, but many customers are still continuing to smoke. We have also displayed pictures and posters against smoking but the customers ignore our request. You are requested to take necessary steps against smoking on Coffee House premises at the earliest,” the complaint to Amherst Street police station read.
The society’s secretary, Tapan Kumar Pahari, confirmed they have sought police help to implement the no-smoking ban, but refused to comment further. But other employees who regularly interact with customers said enforcing the ban was backfiring, with many guests threatening to assault them. “Most of our guests are regulars who have been coming for decades. The other section comprises students who sit here for hours and have coffee and cigarettes. If we stop them from smoking, they threaten us. At times, scuffles have broken out too,” said an employee of Coffee House.
At any point of the day, the hall buzzes like a beehive, packed with regulars, steady wisps of cigarette smoke rising to the balcony above. “The who’s who of the city have downed several cups of coffee over several cigarettes over decades. It is a slice of the Kolkata of yore. They should try to make a separate smoking zone inside instead of doing away with smoking altogether,” said Shutanuka Roy, a former student of Calcutta University who herself has spent several hours at Coffee House over the years.
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