The Delhi Government has put a ban on serving of hookahs in Delhi and has asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to cancel licenses of cafes and restaurants that defy the orders.
At the end of October, the Delhi government declared the ban of serving of Shisha, popularly known as Hookah in cafes and restaurants within the capital. The government also asked Municipal Corporation to discredit the license of the places which continue to serve hookah despite the ban.
The main reason behind the ban was the harmful effects hookah has on the health of people. The health threats posed by hookah have been a matter of debate for long. Times Now reported that State Tobacco Control Cell conducted several raids in various parts of Delhi and the analysis showed the presence nicotine in a significant amount in almost all the samples. This ban is a solid step taken by the Delhi government to take a stand against the problem of smoking.
Hookah is apparently seen as a safe alternative to cigarettes as it is claimed or had been claimed to not contain tobacco. It served the purpose of smoking without causing the ill-effects. It is most popular among the young population indulging plenty in the process of smoking. However, on the basis of recent results and this concrete step taken by the Delhi government, it can be said that hookah is not safe and not at all a harmless alternative to smoking. Also, smoking hookah includes taking a greater number of puffs in comparison to cigarettes.
The ban is also focused on preventing the younger generation from indulging in smoking such harmful substances. The ban raises a great deal of concern on how much of the youth is actually involved in smoking. The growing generation naturally learns from the people before them and it has now become a trend to start smoking hookah from a young age. Not doing so results in being labeled as either “innocent” or “incompetent”. The tendency to smoke hookah is seen as a “cool” thing. Who doesn’t want to be cool? Some do it for fun; some do it to imitate others while others do it to avoid the insults. Regardless of whatever the reason is, almost every teenager does hookah at least in the big cities.
A month on from the ban, many places still serve hookah in the capital. For cafes and restaurants, it’s their business and they will want to sell more. But what about the people like us? What about teens who are still in school? Doing hookah does seem like a good sport, but we need to start filtering what really is right for us and what is not. Teens are attracted to stuff and very easily get addicted, but someone, somewhere, somehow needs to find a way to stop this. And it’s not just about the government banning such substances. This ban raises concern. It is a good start, however, there is still a long way to go in order to solve this issue.
Feature Image Credits: Rozana Spokesman
Karan Singhania
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