Berhampur: In a first of its kind incident,Berhampur police has busted illigal hookah bars operated in seven hotels in the city and seized Hookah Pots,Tobacco & other smoking items,besides registered 7 criminal cases inconnection with the seizure.Berhampur SP,dr saravana Vivek M said,recently lot of complaints were received from concerned parents and citizens that illegal hookah bars have started to operate in Berhampur where minors are being supplied with Hookah smoking where Tobacco and other illegal smoking agents are used.Accordingly,yesterday night simultaneous raids were conducted at the Hookah Bars running at different hotels/restaurants by five teams comprising of SDPO Town, IIC Berhampur Town PS, IIC Gosaninugaon PS, IIC Bada Bazar PS and IIC BN Pur PS with their staffs.The raids were conducted on seven hotels,during which adults and few minors were found smoking Hookah in these Hookah bars.On further verification,it is found that the packets of prohibited Tobacco products and other chemicals including Charcoal which were added in Hookah instrument with Fire for smoking.However,the owners of these hotels failed to produce any authority or license in support of running the Hookah Bar and selling of Tabaco products in public places.These tabaco products are injurious to Human Health and dangerous chemicals are added to this Tabaco products to make it flavourable and to increase intoxication to humans.These type of chemicals are noxious to the health of general public and cause cancer including lung cancer.In order to prevent the Hookah Bar from further sale of this dangerous product to general public and minors,the equipment for running Hookah pots with stands, other ingredients, chemicals including Charcoal and Tabaco product packets,are seized.A total of 47 hookah pots worth of around Rs 1.5lakhs has been seized.Seven criminal cases have been registered,two at BN Pur PS,four at Town PS and one at Bada Bazar PS under different sections of BNS and with the penal provisions of the Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of advertisement and Regulation of Trade and commerce, Production Supply and distribution) Act.However no arrest were made as these are first offence,but they were issued warnings for arrest of repeaters,said the SP.It is pertinent to mention here that,hookah trade continued in the silk city over last five years,but no action was taken.
