‘Save traditional coffee shops’

Manama : A civil group has called upon the authorities to “save” traditional coffee shops in the old market here.

Members of Manama Traditional Market Committee urged to extend assistance to the old market, by reviving the traditional coffee shops, which are tourist attractions.

They also denounced the move to refer some of the shop owners in the market to judicial authorities for operating without permits.

“The owners have been adhering to all the permit requirements for decades. They see no acceptable reason to ban them from selling sheesha now, especially as many tourists visit these places to smoke and drink tea at reasonable prices,” said the panel’s Deputy Chairman Mahmood Al Namliti in a press statement.

“In similar traditional markets in the Gulf, these shops are maintained and developed. We have to admit that despite being harmful to health, sheesha is one of the main tourist attractions,” he added.

Though the owners had sought new permits for serving tobacco products (sheesha) with the concerned authorities, “no answer was given to them,” Al Namliti said.

Capital General Secretariat Council Vice Chairman Mazin Al Omran told DT News during an interview last year that a set of tighter regulations would be imposed on serving sheesha in different places of the Capital. He said that council is firm about limiting sheesha services to tourism areas such as Adliya and five-star hotels.

Commenting on this point, Al Namliti said the owners expressed their concerns about permitting new coffee shops to serve sheesha in Adliya, while the traditional ones in the old market are being banned.