The State Government is formulating a policy to ban hookah bars across Karnataka, found more in numbers in Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Mangaluru.
Following a statement by Home Minister Araga Jnanendra in February 2022 that the Government is mulling over a ban, city corporations that are the licensing authorities in the cities have been tasked to come up with a policy to ban the same.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has commissioned a study by health and legal experts to formulate the policy for the ban. “We are awaiting the report by the experts since we need to consider all legal repercussions before finalising the policy. Based on the report, we will take suitable action soon,” K.V. Trilok Chandra, Special Commissioner (Health), BBMP.
Presently, the city corporations have issued licenses to hookah bars in hotels where there is a separate smoking zone. Once the ban is put in place, the civic body will withdraw licenses it has issued till now and there will be a complete ban on hookah bars, sources said.
However, many unlicensed hookah bars have mushroomed, especially in Bengaluru, and many of them have become venues for substance abuse, police sources said. “In many hookah bars, instead of tobacco, people use ganja and other psychotropic substances. While a few of these hookah bars are licensed, most of them are not. We have raided several such illegally-run places and shut them down. We cannot go to each hookah bar and check what they are smoking. It is preferable they are banned,” said a senior police officer.
However, the State Government keen on the ban wants to ensure it is strongly backed by law, after the recent debacle of its attempt to ban online gaming backfired in the Karnataka High Court, sources said. The Government of Karnataka had recently amended the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, and criminalised online gambling and gaming. However, the High Court struck it down in February 2022. The State Government has challenged the order in the Supreme Court where it is pending.
