Now, four more BJP-ruled states crack down on illegal meat shops

A day after Jharkhand followed the footsteps of Yogi Adityanath-led government by cracking down on illegal abattoirs, the clampdown spread to four more BJP-ruled states – Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

According to a Times of India report, three meat shops were sealed in Haridwar, 11 were shut down in Raipur and one in Indore on Tuesday.

Futhermore, around 4,000 illegal meat shops in Jaipur face closure from April after the civic corporation’s crackdown on such shops and slaughterhouses.

Jaipur’s meat sellers have claimed that 950 of these 4,000 shops were authorised, but the corporation did not renew their licences after March 31 last year.

Meanwhile, the report quoted a Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) official saying that the licences could not be renewed as the municipal body approved a proposal for increasing the licence fee from Rs 10 to Rs 1,000, but did not issue a gazette notification till date.

“We are not at fault as we filed applications for renewal of licences. However, our applications were not accepted. We will protest against the JMC's drive,” Abdul Raquf Khurshi, president, New Jaipur Meat Association, was quoted by Times of India as saying.

On the other hand, sources in the JMC said that initially, action will be taken against illegal slaughterhouses and meat shops.

“Shops which had licences in the past will be spared. However, action will be taken against them if slaughtering is not done as per the law,” said a JMC official.

In Haridwar, raids by administration revealed that out of six shops, only three had a valid licence.

“The action is being taken on complaints by some people's representatives, especially in view of Navratra. While meat shops without licences will face action, those operating them legally with valid documents will not be harassed,” said Haridwar SSP Krishna Kumar.

In Chhattisgarh, Raipur Municipal Corporation asked 11 illegal meat shops to down shutters in three days, which will be sealed if they fail to do so. These shops were found to be polluting the environment by dumping the waste directly on the roadside or into the sewer.

Indore Municipal Corporation has also asked one meat shop to shut down for violating rules.

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