Delhi Police bust fake visa racket
Delhi Police unearthed a fake visa racket and apprehended four people in this regard from Chanakyapuri in South Delhi, it said on Tuesday.
The Delhi government on Tuesday asked the police and municipal corporations to cancel the licences of restaurants, eateries and hotels where hookah smoking was being allowed.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said hookah smoking was not allowed in either non-smoking or smoking zones in the national capital.
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Jain has said Delhi Police and municipal corporations should immediately cancel the licences of restaurants or eateries having hookah bars.
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“The minister has made it clear that hookah smoking is not allowed in non-smoking zone as per section 4 of COTPA (Cigarette & other Tobacco Products Act),” the government said in a statement.
It said a recent notification of the Indian government dated 23 May 2017, from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, completely prohibits use of hookah in the smoking zones also.
The government stated that as per the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an hour-long hookah session comprises 200 puffs compared to 30 puffs in a cigarette, but a number of hookah bars have been “flourishing” flouting anti-tobacco rules and laws.
The government said the state tobacco control cell has conducted several raids in various parts of the city and chemical analysis of picked up samples have shown presence of nicotine in significant amount in almost all the samples though originally they were claimed to be herbal in nature.
The government alleged that despite several letters to Delhi Police and civic bodies in the last four years, no action was initiated against these “illegally” running hookah bars to save the younger generation from the harmful effects of tobacco.
“The action is yet awaited and the violations are still going on in many parts of Delhi. It has been noticed that hookah smoking is rampant in restaurants/eateries/hotels in metropolitan cities including Delhi these days, and has unfortunately become a status symbol even in family functions,” the statement said.
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