GHMC gets tough with hookah centres

Enjoying a night of hookah with your friends at prime lounges in Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills is a thing of the past now.

As part of a demolition drive major hookah café lounges in both areas were run down by officials on Tuesday on the grounds that the centres were running on structures that were illegal.

The step was taken by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) after they identified as many as 12 such centres in the city; half of these were demolished on Tuesday.

The Corporation officials have informed that the demolition drive would continue for a couple of days more and at least 50 more centres around the city will be brought down.

A senior GHMC official told The Hans India that the Corporation officials acquired data from the police and took the decision of the demolition drive.

He shared that the police, during their rides around the city, found that several hookah centres and specifically in prime areas were not only allowing minors but running on unauthorised structures.

The issue was discussed during a series of convergence meetings, he said.

Further, the official said that the Corporation would hold an extensive meeting pertaining to unauthorised constructions in all hookah centres.

He said that the Corporation will share the information with the police if they found any minors at the hookah centres during the demolition drive.