Crackdown on Hookah Bars in city imminent

Mysore/Mysuru: A crackdown on hookah bars in city is imminent as Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly yesterday that the State Government is going all out to bring to book violating establishments. 

“Gambling, hookah bars, drug consumption and drug peddling and illegal arms are all interconnected. Action at the ground level and strong legislations are being worked out to control it,” the Home Minister said.  He was replying to a question by Chamaraja Constituency MLA L. Nagendra who demanded the Government to curb hookah bars. 

The MLA said that the hookah bars were spoiling the youths these days and they get on to smoking and drugs easily once they are addicted to hookah bars. 

Till November-end this year, the State Government has registered 3,852 cases under various Sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Out of these, charge-sheets have been filed in 2,285 cases, Basavaraj Bommai revealed. 

“We aim to set up basic labs in all districts while starting five more regional Forensic Science Labs in Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi, Kalaburagi and Belagavi in a year’s time for speedy disposal of drug-related cases,” the Home Minister said.

When SOM contacted Mysuru DCP (Law and Order) Dr. A.N. Prakash Gowda seeking his reaction on the action to be taken against hookah bars operating in Mysuru following the Home Minister’s announcement, he said that in Mysuru there were over six to seven hookah bars. 

“These are licenced hookah bars and we have closed down all unauthorised ones. If the Government decides to close all hookah bars, we will definitely do so. We have to implement Government order. As of now, it is an announcement in the Assembly. The rule has to be worked out and once the guidelines and enforcement modalities are ready, we will get the official order. Implementation will start after that,” he said. 

Since hookah bars is a health and Police subject, the Police and the Health and Family Welfare Department have to jointly enforce the Government order once it is official. Special teams will be formed to crackdown on the trade if the Government decides to close down hookah bars, the DCP added.

It may be recalled, CCB Police and members of MCC Standing Committee on Health raided a few hookah bars in city last year and closed them for violating Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) and seized various equipment and flavoured tobacco packets. These bars were run clandestinely by certain influential people at Bannimantap, Vontikoppal and Kalidasa Road, hoodwinking the law.