The Karnataka government is considering introducing a blanket ban on hookah bars in the state, Home Minister Basvaraj Bommai said in the state assembly on Tuesday. He said the ban is being mulled in a bid to arrest the drug menace among the youth in the state. Bommai said this as he was responding to a question asked by Jayanagar Congress MLA Sowmya Reddy.
“Drug abuse is seen in slums and even among educated people as an addiction. It is a family issue and we are taking it seriously. We are constantly fighting this...We are going after synthetic drugs found in chocolates and tablets and we are looking to root out how they are coming. We are constantly tracking the dark web and the drug peddlers,” Bommai told the house.
He added, “We are constantly raiding and filing cases on hookah bars. We are studying other states where bans on hookah bars are banned. We are seriously considering banning hookah bars. We will discuss with BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) and bring in the law for this.”
Bommai, who is also the Law Minister in the state, stated that while 127 drug-related cases were registered in the state in 2016, it has risen to 2,786 cases in 2020.
Bommai added that in order to make the ban successful, there has to be cooperation between the state government and urban local bodies like the BBMP as they are the licensing authority.
“This should be a people's movement and teachers and parents should be careful about their students and wards. I urge everyone to join hands in this war against drugs,” Bommai added.
This is not the first time that hookah bars have come under the lens of the political class. In 2017, BBMP corporators had also demanded winding up of hookah bars for allegedly allowing minors in their establishments.