The news article misquotes the NRAI & wrongly reports a scheduled survey of hookah bars as an order to ‘shut down’.
Members are requested to be aware of potential problems arising from an erroneous article this week in Dainik Jagran, a Hindi language newspaper.
The newspaper reported that the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has issued orders to shut down all hookah bars in its jurisdiction that includes popular restaurant zones like the Hauz Khas Village (HKV) & Defense Colony.
The report went on to quote an unnamed NRAI official on the large number of bars in HKV offering hookahs. No such information was provided by the NRAI.
The correct situation is offering a hookah service is legal and that the SDMC has decided only on a survey of restaurants and bars to clamp down on those offering it illegally or serving spurious material.
“Hookah bars have been permitted to operate by the Supreme Court. The onus is on the owners to ensure that the quality is as per norms and that a certified product is being served,” said Shankar Dash, Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing Unit), Delhi.
The NRAI has requested the Dainik Jagran newspaper to issue a corrigendum. In addition, the NRAI is implementing a campaign on social media to clarify the legality of hookah service and to head of potential consumer backlash from this article.
