mumbai three months after the kamala mills fire the state has introduced a bill to ban hookah on tuesday the government proposed to amend the cigarettes and other tobacco products prohibition of advertisement and regulation of trade and commerce production supply and distribution act 2003 cotpas application in maharashtra the december 29 2017 fire at kamala mills was caused due to embers of hookah being served and claimed 14 livesthe bill proposes a minimum imprisonment of one year extending up to three years if anyone is found running hookah parlours the fine will be a minimum of rs 50000 and maximum rs 1 lakh it states no person shall either on his own or on behalf of any other person open or run any hookah bar in any place including the eating house state the bill the proposed law allows any police officer of the rank of assistant inspector or above to seize any material or article used as a subject or means of hookah bar justifying the amendment the government has said hookah bars have mushroomed in mumbai thane navi mumbai pune nagpur and other cities and are being run in public places as well as in restaurantsminors and collegian are attracted to these bars at present there is no law in respect to hookah bars therefore no legal action can be taken it is therefore necessary to regulate hookah bars by law reads the statement of objects and reasonsafter cotpa is amended an eating house will have to be defined as per the maharashtra police act this means a place where public are admitted and where any kind of food or drink is supplied for consumption on the premises by any person owning or having an interest in or managing such place and includes a refreshment room boarding house coffee house or a shop where any kind of food or drink is supplied to the public for consumption in or near such shop but does not inc1ude a place of public entertainment