Govt mulling ban on hookah bars, says Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai

Bengaluru: Expressing serious concern over growing addition to hookahs among youngsters, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said the State government was seriously considering a ban on hookah bars. "Hookah bars are a serious matter. Some of them are in restaurants, while some are standalone in cities such as Bengaluru and Mysuru," Bommai said.

Responding to a question raised by Congress member Sowmya Reddy in the Legislative Assembly during question hour, the home minister said, local bodies like Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) give licence to them. We are conducting raids and booking cases against them. Already over 70 cases have been booked in Bengaluru alone this year. "It is not enough, youth are getting attracted to hookah bars. I have asked officials to study the ban on hookah bars being implemented in other States. We are seriously considering banning them...we will bring in necessary laws," the minister said, adding that the cooperation from licencing authorities like BBMP and other local bodies was important.

Raising the issue, Sowmya Reddy said drugs were still available in hookah bars and cafes and called for sustained action against drugs. Regarding drug abuse, the Minister said, it's prevalent from slums to the elite, educated to the illiterate, also students, and the government has taken it seriously and will continue its 'war on drugs'.

"Earlier, only ganja was seized, but we're going after synthetic drugs coming in the form of tablets and chocolates," Bommai said, adding that the number of cases against drugs had gone up from 127 in 2016 to 2,786 in 2020.

Health Minister Dr Sudhakar wrote a letter to Additional Chief Secretary of Health Jawaid Aktar in November 2020, seeking suitable action to prevent the youths from getting addicted to tobacco and other intoxicants. Use and sharing of hookah in communal and social settings with tobacco or without tobacco can lead to spread of coronavirus.