In the aftermath of the tragedy at Kamala Mills Compound, experts talk about the need to ban illegal sale of hookah
At a time when the BMC has scurried into action and pulled down hundreds of illegal structures post the Kamala Mills Compound fire, the spotlight has fallen on the city's hookah culture. On Thursday night, 14 people lost their lives in a fire that was apparently triggered by a spark of hookah ember served at 1 Above. Senior cancer specialist Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi blames the government for its failure to curb the rise of unauthorised hookah parlours in Mumbai.
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Blanket ban on tobacco
In Maharashtra, the consumption of any form of tobacco in public forums in prohibited. Despite this, many restobars under the registration of eateries, sell hookah to customers, which violates the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003.
Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, senior oncologist and head of the head and neck department of Tata Memorial Hospital believes the hookah is more harmful than cigarettes. "Hookah users take longer pulls which leads to increased exposure to the carcinogenic smoke. An hour-long session of hookah is equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes, as one hookah session delivers 25 times the tar of a single cigarette. Additional dangers include contraction of infectious diseases due to pipe-sharing," he said.
In his open letter, he wrote, "I would urge all hookah users to shun the usage of this 'killer apparatus' and boycott such
parlours! Those not using hookah, must protest and ensure that hookah is not served."
In July this year, the state health department held a meeting to introduce a new provision in the Bombay Shops and Establishments Act that would prohibit any registered shop under the act from selling hookah. The recommendation was sent to the state government for a final nod but it is still in the pipeline.
Dr Pradeep Vyas, commissioner of Department of Health and Sanitation also confirmed the new development to curb the mushrooming of unregulated hookah bars in the state. "Any eatery with a capacity of more than 35 customers, needs to have a separate smoking zone. But, in a hookah bar, it remains open to public. To stop this misuse, we have made the recommendation that no one would be allowed to sell hookah. This would help us straighten the implementation of the tobacco act," he said.
If the state government gives the nod, Maharashtra will join states like Madhya Pradesh and Punjab that have banned the sale
of hookah.
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