The government planned to ban hookah parlours in January 2018 as well. | Photo Credit: BCCL

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has introduced a blanket ban on the hookah parlours across Maharashtra on Thursday. After Gujarat, Maharashtra is the second state to impose such a ban which will come into effect immediately. However, the notification was issued by the government only after the bill was passed by the state legislature in April this year.

According to a report by the Hindustan Times, the amendments of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA), 2003, includes, a fine of ₹1 lakh will be imposed and imprisonment of up to three years for any violations of the act. Also, the amendment has made the offense a non cognisable.

Meanwhile, an official from the home department that since the notification has been issued, the ban came into effect immediately. It will be the responsibility of the police officials to ensure that the ban is implemented effectively.

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After the fire at Kamala Mills in December 2017 which was caused by a hookah parlour, in which 14 people died of suffocation, the home department was planning to regulate hookah parlours. But, the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis insisted on a blanket ban on hookah parlours across the state.

The government planned to ban hookah parlours in January 2018 as well. Reportedly, activists have expressed concerns about how comprehensively the ban will be enforced. The ban was imposed earlier as well by the authorities have said that the ban was not fully implemented owing to the dispute over the interpretation of the court order.