Leading cafés, restaurants booked for illegal ‘hookah’ service in Shimla

Several leading cafés and restaurants in Shimla have been booked for serving ‘Sheesha’ (hookah) disguised as flavoured molasses or herbal/no-nicotine products, after a large number of seized packets were found clearly listing tobacco and nicotine but lacked the mandatory statutory health warnings, in violation of Section 7 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003.

The action followed a coordinated multi-department enforcement drive on multiple cafés and restaurants for illegally serving ‘hookah’. The State Flying Squad conducted the drive under the Tobacco Free Youth Campaign-3.0 launched by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Teams of the Departments of Health, Health Safety and Regulation, Food and Drug Administration, Excise and Taxation and the Himachal Police jointly carried out the operation. A case has been registered under the provisions of the COTPA and all seized items had been submitted in court for further action.

Dr Ravinder Kumar, State Programme Officer, National Tobacco Control Programme, highlighted key scientific findings on the dangers of ‘hookah’ use. He said that 45 minutes of ‘hookah’ smoking could equal smoking 100 cigarettes. “Hookah contains addictive nicotine and produces high levels of carbon monoxide, as recognised by the World Health Organisation. Users typically inhale more deeply and for longer durations, increasing exposure to carcinogenic smoke. One ‘hookah’ session can deliver up to 25 times the tar of a single cigarette. Sharing ‘hookah’ pipes heightens the risk of communicable diseases such as TB, hepatitis and herpes,” he added.

Pradeep Kumar Thakur, Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Himachal Pradesh, said that the ongoing crackdown was part of a statewide strategy to curb the rising menace of ‘hookah’ use, especially among adolescents and the youth. He added that products marketed as herbal, no-tobacco or no-nicotine were misleading and equally harmful, including for those exposed to second-hand smoke. He clarified that all provisions of the COTPA apply fully to ‘hookah’ irrespective of how it was labelled or marketed.

“The Health Department remains firmly committed to protecting the public from tobacco-related harms. Illegal ‘hookah’ service continues to be reported in Kullu district, particularly Kasol and Manali, as well as in Shimla, Dharamsala and Solan. Enforcement will be strengthened through a three-tier flying squad system operating at the state, district and block levels to ensure continuous monitoring and strict action against all establishments violating the COTPA,” he added.