Haryana government announced to impose a ban on serving any form of hookah to customers in nightclubs, bars, restaurants, and similar establishments across the state. However, this prohibition will not apply to traditional hookahs used in rural areas. As per the official statement from the Home Department, the hookah bars are leading to spread of various types of communicable diseases and posing danger to human life, health and safety of masses in Haryana. 

According to the order issued by Home Secretary, T.V.S.N Prasad, the work of serving tobacco and flavored hookah is going on in bars, night clubs and restaurants in various districts of Haryana. In some places, banned narcotics are also mixed with tobacco. Additionally, it has also been seen that to enhance the taste, various herbs and chemicals are added to enhance the flavor, often luring young people into adopting this habit.

‘Bars serving Hookah Narghile with tobacco containing nicotine’ 

“It has come to the notice of the government that Hookah Bars are operational in various Districts of Haryana which serve Hookah Narghile with tobacco containing nicotine which is highly injurious to the health of the users. Sometimes, other harmful/ prohibited narcotic substances are also mixed with tobacco in these Hookah Bars. Accordingly, in such cases appropriate legal action is taken by the authorities as soon as any information or complaint is received in this regard,”  the order reads.

“It has also come to notice that various flavours/herbs are also used by Hookah Bars. Many times, even nicotine and banned drugs are being served in the said hookah bars under the guise of serving flavours/herbs. In aforesaid Hookah, it involves water pipe system and flavoured constituent shisha, heated with charcoal. The popularity of these flavoured hookah among adolescents and young adults has increased significantly in recent times. Due to various misconceptions such as availability of multiple flavours, less harshness of smoke, no or less nicotine and importantly of less or no risk associated with its use, are promoting its usage,” it added.

‘Ban will not be applicable to traditional hookah’

“Thus, under these compelling circumstances involving the interest of public at large, all the Commissioners of Police and District Magistrates in the respective Commissionerate/District are hereby directed to take all necessary steps and measures in accordance with applicable law and if so required, by invoking provisions of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, in order to ensure that no Hookah/Narghile is served for smoking/consumption, in Hookah Bars and also in Hotels/ Restaurants/ Taverns/Bars/ any other commercial establishment where people gather to smoke tobacco from a hookah or narghile which is provided individually as a commercial service. However, such ban will not be applicable to traditional hookah used for non commercial and personal purposes across the state of Haryana,” it added.

As a result, flavored or nicotine-infused hookah cannot be served anywhere in Haryana. Complaints about serving hookah with intoxicating substances through hookah bars and clubs in districts like Gurugram, Faridabad, and Panchkula in Haryana prompted Chief Minister Manohar Lal to announce a complete ban on serving hookah during an event two weeks ago. Following this, the notification has now been issued.

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