Haryana Roadways ‘hookah drive’ video goes viral
The Delhi government, on Monday lodged complaints with the transport commissioners of the national capital and Haryana after a video, purportedly showing a driver of the Haryana Roadways smoking hookah in a moving bus in the city, went viral.
Taking note of the video, additional director (health department) of Delhi Dr S.K. Arora said that the driver was smoking hookah “very proudly” and without any fear while passing through the national capital.
In his letter, Mr Arora said that as can be seen in the video, the driver violated the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003.
“This is to bring to your kind notice that we have come to know through social media that a driver of the Haryana Roadways was violating the laws. He was seen smoking hookah very proudly and without any fear as he drove through Delhi,” Dr Arora said in his letter.
He added that by smoking hookah while driving, the driver was putting the lives of his passengers at risk. He also said that there was an advertisement of Pataka tea on the bus, which is a violation of Section 5 of COTPA as it was a surrogate advertisement of tobacco (Pataka bidi).
“For this advertisement, the violation is being committed by both Pataka group of companies and Haryana Roadways. It is worth mentioning that such advertisements are strategies of tobacco companies to attract minors and females,” Dr Arora wrote in the letter.