Hookah bars reopen in Ahmedabad, new guideline enforced

The Ahmedabad police commissioner issued a circular yesterday permitting the use of hookah in restaurants and hotels from June 10, provided they fulfil certain conditions. These are in addition to the conditions laid down by the Gujarat High Court which stipulates that restaurants and hotels should make separate smoking cabins and bar the entry of individuals below the age of 18.

Following are the details of the the circular,

-Cabins should be set up in one big area and small cabins should be provided individually to customers.

-These must be transparent and properly lit.

-Only 30 per cent of the restaurant space can be utilised for such cabins.

-The hookah bar should be set up in a way that other customers in the restaurant do not have to pass through there.

-Smoking and non-smoking zones must be properly demarcated with signboards.

-Compulsory installation of CCTV cameras , with the footage submitted to the area police stations every week.

-Identity cards of customers (driving license, voter ID, passport, etc) must be checked and all personal details recorded before letting them in.

-The police will check the flavors and other contents used in hookahs regularly and send them to forensic labs for testing. If the content contains any suspicious element, the FSL will probe the matter and submit a report to the zonal Dy CPs.

-Only restaurants with sitting capacity of 30 or more, and which have been running for over a year, can apply for a hookah bar license.

-Those found violating the rules will be booked under Section 188 of the IPC and Section 131 (1) of the Bombay Police Act.