The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a Bill banning hookah parlours.

State Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu, who moved the bill on behalf of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, said the organisers of hookah parlours are taking advantage of the craze for hookah smoking among youth, including college students, and that there is a possibility of youth getting addicted to it.

Smoking hookah is more harmful than smoking cigarettes and it makes the smokers take toxic substances, he said.

It also causes harm to passive smokers and hookah parlours posed a health hazard in public places, he said.

Therefore, tough measures like banning hookah bars are needed and the government felt that a quick decision should be taken.

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 unanimously without discussion.

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