Eight new coffee shops have been licensed to sell sheesha at a popular leisure destination, despite a ban imposed by the Muharraq Municipal Council.

They are located at The Lagoon at Amwaj Islands, where the council, on April 13, ruled that no new sheesha cafés could open, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

However, an exception has been made for the eight new locations because of the large investment made and the fact that they received prior permission from the Muharraq Municipality.

“The municipality gave them initial permission without getting an OK from councillors, which is wrong,” said council chairman Mohammed Al Sinan.

“The matter was discussed with councillors, who are already against serving sheesha in Muharraq, but it was too late because some have spent around BD500,000 ($1.3 million).

“The council previously made allowances for coffee shops in The Lagoon, but we stopped a while ago so the municipality had to consult us before allowing them to start work and spend their money.

“All hygiene and health requirements have been fulfilled in the new coffee shops according to an inspection by the Health Ministry.” - TradeArabia News Service