NGT comes down heavily on Kejriwal Govt on Hookah Bar issue

NGT comes down heavily on Kejriwal Govt on Hookah Bar Issue The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today came down heavily on the Kejriwal Government for not complying with the directions of the court on producing the list of the restaurants serving Hookah in the National Capital and fined the Kejriwal government, Delhi Pollution Control Board and Delhi police Rs. 50 thousand each for their laxity. Disclosing this in a statement issued here today, Mr. Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who is spearheading a campaign to get Hookah Bars closed in the National Capital, said that Principal Bench of the NGT heard the matter on a petition filed by him today. He said that his lawyer Mr. Sukhman Singh Ahluwalia neither told the court that neither the government has carried out searches nor produced the list of restaurants serving the Hookah as per the orders of the NGT given on December 12^th, 2017. He also informed the court that though the Minister of the Kejriwal Government gave public statements to carry out action against these bars but on ground nothing was done. Taking serious note of non compliance of the court orders the Bench chided the government and asked it to file report within next 10 days. It also fined the Government, Pollution Control Body and the Delhi police Rs. 50 thousand each and posted the matter for further hearing on May 18^th, 2018. It also agreed with the viewpoint that with Hookah smoking not only the smoker is at receiving end but those who serve it and those who are sitting near them are also under threat of receiving its side effects. Mr. Manjinder Singh Sirsa also said that he was serving a warning to Hookah Bar owners to wind up their businesses of ruining the lives of Delhi youth or otherwise they will have to face the law and punishments under different provisions.  He said that he was determined to take this fight to logical conclusion and will ensure that Hookah is not served in any part of the Delhi which ruins our youth and polluted our society and environment. -PTC News

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