Political parties gang up to shut hookah parlours in Mumbai

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, December 28

All the major political parties in Mumbai have joined hands to shut illegal hookah parlours operating in the city.

The Shiv Sena and the BJP which jointly hold power in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation have been joined by the Congress, the NCP and the smaller parties which have all called for a crackdown on these joints.

“Though hookah parlours are not allowed under the law, many restaurants illegally serve hookahs in their smoking rooms. In fact, no food and drinks are served at all in these hookah parlours,” Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshvar said.

He added that many of these parlours, which are run by local strongmen, also dealt in narcotics on the sly.

Earlier this week, Mahadeshvar and other Shiv Sena leaders met with Mumbai’s Police Commissioner Datta Padsalgikar and demanded that the hookah parlours be shut down across the city.

Civic officials said the health department of the municipal corporation have sent out notices to 30 hotels that had hookah parlours in their premises.

Licenses of several restaurants too were in the process of being cancelled, officials said.