As even youngsters are getting addicted to smoking hookah, Hyderabad is becoming a hub of hookah smoking, reports Deccan Chronicle. Apart from hookah, cigarettes and drinking are also distributed in these places which are resulting in them being involved in major accidents, the report further said.
Hookah was banned in 2017 in Hyderabad after parlours that were allowed to function legally were found violating rules. They not only allowed minors but also served them alcohol. Hookah pots, flavours, coal and all products required to smoke hookah are available openly. No seller checks the Id-cards of the buyer, irrespective of the individual’s age.
They throng clandestine hookah parlours at Sindhi Colony, Gachibowli, Tolichowki, Maredpally and other areas in the city. The question that authorities need to answer is the purpose that is being served by banning hookah when it is easily available for even underage children, who have their own safe zones to chill out.
“Not only are underage children spotted in hookah outlets but also around pan shops, which sell hookah pots, flavours, and coal. Such complaints are registered on a daily basis. It is a herculean task to conduct checks everywhere and every day? We catch hold of the sellers and consumers when a complaint is registered or when a raid is conducted and they are caught red-handed,” said an official.
Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle
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