NGOs organise walk against sheesha smoking in Lahore

DCO Lahore lauded civil society's efforts, said CDGL had raided cafes and registered FIRs against them.

LAHORE: A walk against sheesha smoking was held on MM Alam road on Thursday to create awareness among people and cafe owners about its harmful effects, demanding the city government to take severe action against violators. 

Organised by two non-governmental organisations, Consumer Forum and Consumer Solidarity System, over a 100 people participated in the the walk from various walks of life, which started from Hussain Chowk and ended at Mini Market. Participants were holding placards, highlighting the harmful health effects of sheesha.

Appreciating the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) recent ban against cafes serving sheesha, the participants of the walk urged the government to expand its domain against sheesha cafes, who were engaged in serving sheesha, but since they kept a low profile, they slipped under the radar of authorities.

Both these NGOs had organised another demonstration against the use of sheesha at Liberty Chowk, wherein they had distributed awareness pamphlets among commuters.

Consumer Forum Vice Chairman Mohsin Bhatti said that sheesha was an addiction which needs to be looked down upon, adding that despite the ban there were many cafes operating in small ‘drawing rooms’, especially near colleges and universities. Citing examples of such cafes, Bhatti said that cafés operating around University of Central Punjab, near Punjab College on Wahdat Road and near COMSAT, were frequently visited by people, making them addicts.

Speaking about the awareness drive against sheesha, Bhatti said that today’s walk was the first phase of the drive, after the Liberty Chowk demonstration, adding that that in the next phase, they would be visiting different colleges and universities where they will deliver lectures to create awareness amongst the youth about the menace of sheesha smoking.

For the third stage, Bhatti said that they will invite religious scholars to play an active role in disseminating the message among masses.

District Coordination Officer Lahore Noor ul Amin Mengal, while reviewing the report about crackdown against sheesha cafes. appreciated the role of civil society for the elimination of sheesha smoking in Lahore city, adding that citizens had now joined hands with the district administration in this regard, strongly demanding a crackdown against sheesha being served in cafes and assured that the city district government would not disappoint citizens in this regard.

Mengal revealed that officers of CDGL conducted surprise raids against six seesha cafes, including Arabian, Black Café, Hale Bale and others, confiscating sheesha pipes and that six FIRs had been registered against the owners of cafes while two persons had been taken into the custody.