The business turnover for the stuff is around Rs 350 crore annually in Nagpur
Nagpur: As the craze of hookah has increased tremendously among the youth, the market of Nagpur city alone has gone into the crores. According to the information, hookah worth more than Rs 70 lakh is being sold in the city every day. Shockingly, the annual turnover of this business is around Rs 350 crore in the Second Capital of the State, according to a report in a local Marathi daily.
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Sat 14 Dec. 2024
The report said that no youth celebration is complete these days without booze and hookah. Taking advantage of this craze, a large number of hookah parlours have sprung up in posh areas of Nagpur city. College classes have started offline after Corona restrictions were lifted. Due to this, the number of youths coming from outstation to study in the city has increased. It is easily seen that hookah is sold in any big panthela or cafe. The heady stuff is brought from Gujarat to Mumbai and from there to Nagpur. Apart from this, Delhi is also another destination for the sale of these goods, the report added.
According to the report, youths are also seen easily paying Rs 500 to Rs 600 for two to two and a half hours of enjoyment. Therefore, its turnover is Rs 17 to 18 crore per month to 350 crore per year. In the past few years, the Crime Branch of Nagpur has been raiding hookah parlours. However, they have no authority to take any action unless tobacco products are found. Taking advantage of this loophole, cafe, bar and restaurant owners are seen making business. Although it looks like a herbal hookah on the front, the inside is full of tobacco flavours.
These localities are hub:
Hookah is being served to customers in cafes located in Pratap Nagar, Sadar, Trimurti Nagar, Wardhaman Nagar, Bajaj Nagar, Ambazari, Nandanvan and in many restaurants in Khapri area on the Wardha Road. In the evenings, youths come here just to experience hookah “trip”. It seems that these hookah providers have no fear of the law in the Second Capital.
According to the report, often dealing with hookah parlours, restaurant, pub and cafe operators are seen relying on herbal hookah. However, since the police are conducting raids only on the basis of solid information, they are investigating in the direction that action can be taken against them.
