This provision relates to punishment for running a hookah bar (Representational)
Chandigarh:
The Haryana Assembly on Monday passed a bill that bans opening or running hookah bars or serving hookah to customers at any place including eateries in the state.
The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Haryana Amendment Bill, 2024 was passed in the evening.
Home Minister Anil Vij had introduced the bill in the House.
According to the Bill, after section 4 of the principal Act (Central Law) – Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution), Act, 2003, – “the following section” shall be inserted. : ‘4-A. Prohibition on hookah bars – Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, no person shall, by himself or on behalf of any other person, open or maintain any hookah bar or serve hookah to any customer at any place , which includes restaurants’.”
The Bill defines “eating house” as “any place where food or refreshment of any kind is provided or sold to visitors for consumption”.
According to the Bill, after Section 21 of the principal Act, Section 21-A will be inserted.
This provision relates to punishment for running a hookah bar.
“Whoever contravenes the provisions of section 4-A shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than one year but which may extend to three years and fine which shall not be less than Rs 1 lakh , but which can be extended.” Rs 5 lakh,” it states.
During the discussion on the bill, Congress MLA Varun Chaudhary mentioned a provision of the amendment.
He said that “hookah bar” is defined as any commercial establishment where people gather to smoke tobacco from a hookah or nargil, which is personally provided as a commercial service but It does not involve traditional hookah.
“Under this, it is mentioned that traditional hookah is not included in it. But what exactly is traditional hookah is not defined in the bill. What will happen is that in order to circumvent things, (the violators) will be harming in that And will add prohibited substances.” (Traditional) hookah. Thus, it will defeat the very purpose for which this Bill is being brought,” he said.
Congress’s Bibi Batra also demanded that “traditional hookah” be defined.
Mr Vij said it noted that “hookah bar” means any commercial establishment where people gather to smoke and does not refer to people who smoke traditional hookah at home.
Mr Chaudhary also asked how the law would be enforced if someone kept a “traditional hookah” at a commercial place and put banned substances in it.
Mr Vij stressed that the Bill specifically talks about commercial establishments and the Congress leader expressed satisfaction at the Minister’s clarification.
Later the bill was passed.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, the State Government has taken a serious view of the hookah bars serving hookah nargil with nicotine containing tobacco in various districts.
Various flavours/herbs are also served by such hookah bars. Many times, banned drugs are also served in hookah bars in the guise of flavours/herbs.
It states, “This type of hookah involves a water pipe system and a flavored ingredient ‘shisha’ heated with charcoal. The misconception of low or no risks associated with it and the availability of many flavors and smoke Its use has increased significantly due to its low hardness.” ,
“However, the smoke of such flavored hookah contains various toxic substances, which are harmful not only for the person smoking but also for the people nearby due to passive smoking,” it further mentioned.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
