After more than two years of uncertainty regarding their future, shisha bars have been accorded legal status subject to them following stringent provisions. The move has garnered appreciation and criticism in equal measure
After more than two years of uncertainty regarding their future, shisha bars have been accorded legal status subject to them following stringent provisions. The move has garnered appreciation and criticism in equal measure
In a move that has garnered it roses and brickbats in nearly equal measure, the BMC has given hookah parlours legal status and brought them under the ambit of eatery licences and the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Act (COPTA), 2003. Stringent provisions, including that of not serving food and beverages in the smoking area, have been put in place for the owners of hookah bars and the civic body has decided to be strict and cancel the eating house licence of joints which don't follow the norms to the letter. The measures were taken after the Bombay High Court rapped the BMC over the issue and gave it six weeks to decide on a course of action.
Confirming the move, Additional Municipal Commissioner, Manisha Mhaiskar said, "We are now taking points from COPTA and incorporating them into the eating house licence to allow hookahs to be sold. If the restaurants follow the norms scrupulously, they are permitted to serve hookahs in their premises and the eating house licences of those not doing so will be revoked. This will be applicable to both the existing and upcoming restaurants in the city,"
Cause for joy...
Owners of shisha parlours in the city said that the BMC order has brought them relief and that they will finally be able to reopen their businesses after a gap of nearly 20 days. "We are happy that the BMC has permitted us to run our business with a few genuine conditions in place. Now that the norms listed in the circular are clear and free of the ambiguity that had plagued them earlier, we will make sure that all restaurant owners follow them. This move will ensure that people wanting to start hookah parlours have a clear idea of what they need to do," said Suhail Mansoori, owner of Suhail's China Blue Restaurant in Bandra.
Rahul Kanal, owner of Frontier Curries and Kebabs restaurant in Andheri, said that the norms should have been put in place two years ago but conceded that it was better late than never. "We are obliged that the BMC has finally issued guidelines for us to follow. We have been fighting for the same for the past two years," he said.
MiD DAY had reported ('Hookah parlour owners to unite', May 8) that owners of hookah bars are planning to form a committee that will guide people in the sector to follow the BMC and police norms. They have decided to press ahead with that plan.u00a0A hookah parlour owner from Mahim, who did not wish to be named, however, said; "The BMC has not issued the circular on its own. We had to press for it. They still don't want us to survive," said he.
...And sadness
Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi from Tata Hospital said, "Smoking hookahs is worse than smoking cigarettes since the amount of smoke taken in and exhaled is much more. The worst thing about hookahs is that the content or quality of tobacco cannot be checked." Insisting that the quality of air in a room full of smoke from a shisha is worse than the air in the Deonar dumping ground, he added, "According to a survey in America, more women are prone to cancer despite a majority of men smoking. This just goes to prove that passive smokers are affected far more than active ones. This is why the BMC has decided to have strict normsu00a0-- the people who do not smoke should not be affected." When MiD DAY spoke to a senior health officer from the BMC, he said that opinion was divided within the civic body too, "The circular is just to lay down guidelines. The BMC will never let hookah parlours mushroom in the city. We will never promote hookah smoking."
Dangers
Research has shown that hookah sessions are more damaging to health than smoking cigarettes. Each hookah session typically lasts 20-80 minutes and consists of 50-200 puffs, which range from 0.15 to 1 litre of smoke being inhaled per puff. This exposes the hookah smoker to considerably more smoke over a longer time period compared to a cigarette, which ranges from 0.5 to 0.6 litres per cigarette. Researchers have also found that a 45-minute shisha session leads to the ingestion of 5-10 per cent more tar and carbon monoxide than a pack of cigarettes. A World Health Organisation Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation has stated that 'hookah smoking is associated with the same health risks as cigarette smoking'.
Ex-mayor's take
Hookah bars were forced to shut down in 2008 after the then mayor, Shubha Raul, declared that they were more harmful than cigarettes. Reacting to the BMC's latest decision, she said, "Citizens should keep on raising their voices whenever they find any violation. The BMC and fire brigade should regularly check for violations too. Hookah parlours tend to violate norms and should not be permitted to operate."
68u00a0The number of parlours between Colaba, Dahisar and Mulund which were raided in the last 30 days. 327 cases were registered under the provisions of the Bombay Police Act.
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Rs 250 The average cost for one hookah session
Rs 100 The cost of 1 kg of hookah flavour
Rs 1,000 The price of a shisha, which can go up to Rs 10,000 or even more
Provisions
The circular states:
- Restaurants serving hookahs should have a seating capacity of 30 persons or more and have a separate smoking area.
- Smoking area should not be established at the entrance or exit of the restaurant.
- They should be distinctively labelled 'smoking area' in English and Marathi.
- Smoking area should be used for smoking only and no service (food/beverages) should be allowed.
- Smoking area should be separately ventilated in the following way: It should be physically separated and surrounded by full height walls on all four sides and it should have an entrance with an automatically closing door, which should normally be kept in closed position.
- The air from the area should be exhausted directly outside and should not mix with the air supply for the other parts of the building. It should be fitted with a non-recirculation exhaust ventilation system, an air cleaning system, or a combination of the two.
- The smoking area should have negative air pressure in comparison to other parts of the building.
Voices
I am totally for hookah parlours. The BMC's decision is a welcome one
Sail Ghag (18), student
I don't think these new regulations will have much of an impact. People who go to hookah bars will continue to do so despite changes in the rules
Sneha (18), student
When I was in college, hookah bars were places for us to hang out and relax. So, it is good that the government is open to the idea
Dominic Barrett (23), self-employed
I am against smoking shishas. It is a bad habit which affects one's health. It should not be encouraged
Nikita Achrekar (18), student
If the BMC feels its ok, I am fine with it. People above the age of 18 should be responsible and should take their own decisions
Mridula Sarvade (17), student
It's ok if people want to try it, but they shouldn't get addicted to it. Government rules don't matter.
Shraddha Mhatre (17), student
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