Two food joints with hookah bars sealed in Sector 18

NOIDA: In a joint raid by the city magistrate and the food safety department, two restaurants having hookah bars were sealed in Sector 18 on Monday.

A case will be filed against the restaurant owners under Food Safety Act, officials said.

The raid was carried out in the evening when many people were found smoking hookah. "The restaurants—Kartoos 49 Cafe & Lounge and Smoke House—were found serving hookah at their premises and were immediately sealed. A show cause notice will be issued and a court case will be initiated against them," Surendra Verma, district food safety officer, said.

"The samples of the smoke remnants have been collected and will be sent to a government laboratory for testing," city magistrate Mahendra Singh told TOI.

Hookah along with food and drinks in the smoking zone has been banned in the latest amendment to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA).