OWNERS of coffee shops affecting by the sheesha ban claim they are being unfairly targeted.
One of those at Al Fateh Corniche said it was unaware of plans to develop the coastline into a 5km resort, while all complained that business would be severely hit.
"This is not fair," said Layali Zaman manager Arabi Mohammed. "Either we are all banned or we all serve sheesha according to conditions set out by the municipality."
Seven coffees shops will be affected by the ban, but their owners said it was unfair that others located at the neighbouring King Faisal Corniche would be allowed to continue.
"Are coffee shops on Al Fateh Corniche and the coffee shops on King Faisal Corniche angels," added Mr Mohammed.
One coffee shop on the King Faisal Corniche confirmed it had only been told to separate smokers from non-smokers in closed areas.
"We got the conditions of serving sheesha from the municipality," said Al Shera'a Restaurant and Coffee Shop deputy manager Mohammed Abdul Qader.
"They want us to separate the smokers from the non-smokers and we already did that, but we weren't asked to stop serving sheesha."
However, Layali Turkiye coffee shop owner Mohammed Al Shaer said those on the Al Fateh Corniche could see business drop by more than half as a result of the ban.
"Sixty per cent of our customers are smokers, whether they are families or bachelors," he said.
"If they stop sheesha in all of Bahrain's coffee shops then it's a good decision, but if some coffee shops are banned and some aren't we will lose customers."
Meanwhile, Coral Beach Club manager Chadi Sleiman said he didn't even know that the land it occupies had been earmarked for a 5km resort.
He said that since the club had a 25-year lease it should have been included in the decision-making process.
Mr Sleiman added a Health Ministry representative had inspected the club to ensure it included separate areas for smokers and non-smokers, but he was shocked to receive a letter saying it would now have to stop serving sheesha.
"Sheesha smoking is a private issue just like cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking," he said.
"As such it should be treated in the same way as any other tobacco consumption - either a total ban or a regulated system in which real lawbreakers are punished without impunity."
He claimed hundreds, if not thousands, of venues were serving sheesha illegally and said authorities should start by closing them down.
"I am surprised that, if the public good is the real issue, we haven't first started with the hundreds if not thousands of shops, bars, nightclubs, restaurants and cafes all over Bahrain serving sheesha illegally," he said.
However, Manama Municipal Council chairman Majeed Millad Al Jazeeri said the council was doing coffee shops a favour by allowing them to remain where they are until work on the new resort starts.
"The coffee shops whose agreements with the municipality have expired will have to quit the area when work on the resort starts," he said.
He added coffee shops whose agreements have already expired would not be compensated when they are eventually evicted. However, he said those whose contracts are still valid when work commences would be compensated.
