Kolkata, December 2: All hookah bars in Kolkata will be shut down after allegations were received that some of these places were being used for dealing in drugs, mayor Firhad Hakim said on Friday. Licence of any bar will also be cancelled if they are found secretly selling hookah, he said.

"There are allegations of illegal drug use at the hookah bars. The young generation is getting addicted to drugs. And, this is why hookah bars have been ordered to close," he said. Video of Youths Smoking Hookah, Roasting Chicken on Boat in Ganga Goes Viral; Police Launch Hunt to Nab Them.

Welcoming the decision of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, doctors said having hookah for an hour was equivalent to consuming 100 cigarettes in terms of nicotine deposits. Mumbai: Fire Breaks Out at Revival Terrace Hookah Bar at Chowpati Seaface, Videos and Pics Show Huge Flames Emanating From Hookah Parlour.

"At the hookah bars, which are located inside restaurants, a lot of passive smoking also happens. It is harmful to health as one hour of hookah is equivalent to consuming 100 cigarettes," said doctor Bikash Majumder, senior consultant interventional cardiologist at Apollo Multispeciality Hospitals.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)