Three hookah bars sealed for serving underage guests

Central Chronicle News
Bhilai, Mar 19: On complaints of the residents nearby, the Bhilai Municipal Corporation team on late Thursday night raided a hookah bar being operated under the guise of a restaurant in the posh colony Nehru Nagar area and sealed the same. Acting on three hookah bars in the area, the team sealed all the three hookah bars.
Citizens and residents of the surrounding area had complained that hookah bars are being run under the guise of restaurants in some areas of Nehru Nagar Zone. The complaint also mentioned that the hookah bars were serving underage guests as well. Complaints were also received about the sale of narcotics in the hookah bar operated through the restaurant business.
After getting complaints, the Commissioner Rituraj Raghuvanshi gave instructions to the officials to stop the operation of hookah bar with immediate effect. On Thursday night, at around 20:30 hrs, a team from Zone 1 led by zone commissioner Sunil Agarhari, and including health officer Dharmendra Mishra and assistant health officer Javed Ali, conducted raid on the basis of the complaints.
The team first reached The Haveli near KPS Square, conducted inspection and recovered a large quantity of hookah related material including 12 nos Lamps, 13 tobacco-rich flavors, 5 nos Hookah pipes, a burnt cigar. Also, the employees in the place were working without putting on masks.
Birthday party was going on where also youth were celebrating without masks. All the 18 people found without masks were fined Rs 3600. This building at 74/9, Nehru Nagar East, is operated under the name of some Sanjay Agarwal and was sealed.
The team then visited Surya mall where two places Blackjack and Moksha were raided. Three minor girls and two minor boys were puffing hookah in Moksha. The team recovered 11 hookah pipes, 11 tobacco flavored, 5 hookah lamps, burning cigarette one piece, two piece heater.
In Blackjack which is about at a distance of 20 meters from the Moksha during the raid the team recovered two pipes, two burning lamps, heaters. Both Blackjack and Moksha hookah bar operating at Surya Mall were sealed.
A few months ago also the team went here to take action, but nothing was recovered, the hookah bar was found closed. Therefore, the corporation team worked out a plan, took guerrilla action in the hookah bar. The operation was kept a secret and therefore the hookah bars did not get a chance to hide facts.
Surprisingly, minors are being given entry to the hookah bar. The minors were indulge in such practices and allowed to go home. The corporation administration has a keen eye on the hookah bar, if such activities continue to be conducted, similar action will be taken in the future too.