New Delhi, Dec 3 (PTI) Restaurants and bars in the city,which permit hookah smoking, have told the National GreenTribunal that they do not support the use of tobacco of anykind within their premises.
The restaurants and bars, in pursuance to the noticesissued to them, informed a bench headed by NGT ChairpersonJustice Swatanter Kumar that they were not using any tobaccomaterial in hookah.
The green panel took exception over non-appearance of 13restaurants and bars in the city before it despite noticesbeing served to them.
"We issue bailable warrants against the proprietors/partners of the respondents (who failed to appear) for theirproduction on the next date of hearing," the bench said.
The tribunal asked the authorities to strictly regulatethese restaurants and bars and warned that it would ordertheir closure in case of any environmental pollution.
The matter will now be taken up on December 12.
The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Manjinder SinghSirsa, a BJP MLA from Rajouri Garden, seeking immediate ban onhookah bars in the national capital.
The NGT had on October 9 issued notices and soughtreplies of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the citygovernment, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and varioushookah bar owners.
Sirsa had contended that the ambient air qualitystandards in public places such as restaurants and bars weredangerously higher than the prescribed norms.
Referring to the Prohibition of Smoking in Public PlacesRules, 2008, the plea said these rules were being openlyflouted by various restaurants and hookah bars in Delhiwherein hookah, with tobacco products, was being permitted tobe smoked in open spaces without designation of any part ofthe premises as a smoking area.
"We direct the MoEF to issue directions under Section 5of the Environment Protection Act, 1986 against such personsor entities who have been polluting indoor ambient air inrestaurants and bars and such other public places in Delhi byselling hookah or permitting hookah smoking in its premises,"the plea had said.
Sirsa had earlier alleged that hookah bars were "ruining"the youth of Delhi by turning them into "drug addicts".
"Despite launch of a campaign in the country to containuse of tobacco and ban hookah bars, most hookah bars in Delhiare running on restaurant licences illegally and sellingproducts that are harmful for the youth," he had earlier said.
PTI PKS AGSC.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.