Telangana Govt passes bill banning hookah parlours in state

Hyderabad: The Congress government in the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Monday passed a bill to ban operations of hookah parlours in the state.

Introducing the bill on behalf of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, state Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu said the bill aims to address the growing concern over the exploitation of hookah smoking among young people, mainly college students.

Highlighting the potential for addiction and the harmful effects of hookah smoking, the Minister stated that Hookah is more detrimental than smoking cigarettes as it exposes individuals to toxic substances.

The cigarettes and other tobacco products (prohibition of advertisement and regulation of trade and commerce, production, supply and distribution) (Telangana Amendment) bill, 2024 was passed in the house without any deliberation.