HOOKED TO HOOKAH? IT’S TIME TO BID ADIEU
SHOULD BAN CIGARETTES FIRST STOP THE MANUFACTURING
Any celebration at a restaurant, is incomplete without the quintessential hookah — an ideal choice for Delhiites. However, now the Delhi government has a different plan. It has ordered the municipal corporation and Delhi Police to impose a ban on restaurants and cafes serving hookah because of its dangerous effects on health.
Manjinder Singh Sirsa, BJP MLA, who started the ban movement six months ago to spread awareness about the hookah’s ill effects, says, “Even in smoking zones, serving hookah was never permitted, but restaurants If the government wants to ban products that are hazardous to health, they should first impose a ban on cigarettes as they’re way more injurious. There’s no control over the sale of cigarettes, especially near college premises and cafes continued to serve it. No action was taken previously because the government hadn’t given any official statement back then.”
Sirsa adds that if eateries continue to serve hookahs, they will heavily be penalised and their food and liquor license will be suspended or cancelled. He says, “If it’s being served to youth (below 18), an FIR will be lodged against the eatery. We will visit restaurants to ensure that hookahs are not served.” I don’t understand the reason behind the ban. If health is the primary concern, why not ban the production entirely instead of banning it at restaurants? It is readily available at local pan shops