LAHORE, June 11: District Coordination Officer Noorul Amin Mengal presented on Monday the confiscated sheesha smoking pipes and other material before the media and said the CDGL environment wing would continue its crackdown on sheesha cafes in the provincial metropolis without any discrimination.

Talking to print and electronic media at Town Hall, the DCO said the CDGL administration had constituted special teams to launch a crackdown on sheesha cafes on May 30.

He said the teams raided 35 cafes, recovered 200 sheesha smoking pipes, alcohol and a huge quantity of various drugs used in sheesha smoking.

He said 12 cafes were sealed and criminal cases were got registered against their owners.

He said the officials concerned had initiated an awareness campaign about injurious effects of sheesha smoking before launching the drive against cafes.

“We gave a sufficient time to cafes’ operators, advising them to either close this dangerous business or at least avoid providing this to the young people,” he said, adding the move was launched after many parents and civil society representatives requested the CDGL administration to save their children from such a dangerous addiction.

The DCO said the action against the cafes would continue till the complete elimination of the dangerous business in the city.

Apart from the sheesha smoking, he said the young generation had also started taking drugs, alcohol, opium and other hazardous things at the cafes. He said a compressive plan had been chalked out to capture the big fishes allegedly involved in promoting this heinous business in the city, which has also started spreading in other cities of the province.

MPA Khwaja Imran Nazir told reporters that raiding teams were not only confiscating pipes but also alcohol, beer and charas water used in sheesha smoking.

He said the CDGL saved the youth by taking strict action against sheesha cafes and reiterated that the action would be taken against this social evil in other cities after cleaning Lahore from the menace.

MPA Mehar Ishtiaq, officers of the environment and other departments were also present.