Calangute:Calangute panchayat sealed a hookah shop on Thursday under the Goa Panchayat Raj Act for operating without a valid license.
Calangute sarpanch Joseph Sequeira said that residents complained about a hookah shop near the Shantadurga temple for allegedly selling illegal items like vapes and substances used for narcotics.
“The panchayat issued a notice on Nov 26 and received a reply stating that the shop had permission to sell grocery and chocolate items. However, their trade licence was not renewed and they were selling hookah products. Today, we inspected the site and sealed the shop pending an inquiry,” the sarpanch said.
When pointed out there are similar hookah shops in Calangute, Sequeira said they were unaware whether such shops could legally sell these products. “If they are selling drugs, it’s up to the anti-narcotics cell to take action,” he said.
