Dubai shisha cafes without permit face Dh10,000 fine after deadline

Shisha cafes will be fined Dh10,000 one month after expiry the deadline set by Dubai Municipality to obtain a permit, the Arabic newspaper ‘Al Khaleej’ has reported.

Salem bin Masmar, Assistant Director-General for Supervision of Environment, Health and Safety at Dubai Municipality, said the municipality also will ask the Department of Economic Development to suspend the cafe’s licence and take legal action against such cafes.

He said the municipality has conducted a comprehensive survey of all shisha (hookah) cafes in Dubai, following expiry of the time limit set by the municipality in a circular issued to cafes last February.

Dubai Municipality has issued a resolution banning the use of outdoor spaces of some streets and residential areas to smoke shisha, he said.

He added owners of shisha cafes seeking permits should apply online along with required documents to the Department of Public Safety.

The law regulating shisha smoking in Dubai is clear and the arguments of owners of cafes to avoid imposition of the municipality’s conditions are flimsy, he added.

Enforcement of the law is aimed at protecting non-smokers and residents and passers-by from shisha smoke which spreads in the air quickly, he said.

 

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