The Haryana government on Friday withdrew a December 2022 order declaring parts of Panchkula in the vicinity of Mata Mansa Devi Shrine as a holy area to prohibit the slaughtering, sale and purchase of meat products in the demarcated zone.
A notification ordering the withdrawal of the December 21, 2022, holy area order was issued by the Urban Local Bodies department on Friday.
Urban local bodies minister, Vipul Goel said the holy area declaration was withdrawn by the state government as the Punjab and Haryana High Court had stayed the operation of the December 21, 2022 order.
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Officials said that the municipal commissioner can still regulate the slaughtering, sale and purchase of meat products in the area being vested with powers under the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act.
Justice Vinod Bhardwaj of the high court had on April 17, 2023, stayed the operation of the holy area order after the petitioners contended that the 2022 order prohibiting slaughtering, sale and purchase of meat products in the demarcated zone did not refer to any statutory provision in the exercise of which such a declaration can be issued.
{{/usCountry}}Justice Vinod Bhardwaj of the high court had on April 17, 2023, stayed the operation of the holy area order after the petitioners contended that the 2022 order prohibiting slaughtering, sale and purchase of meat products in the demarcated zone did not refer to any statutory provision in the exercise of which such a declaration can be issued.
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The petitioners which included local restaurateurs and shopkeepers contended that in the absence of invocation of any such substantive power, the enforcement of restraint against the petitioners from carrying on their business is violative of the rights granted to them.
The petitioners said they were duly issued licences by the competent authority to deal in the sale and purchase of meat and meat products in the said area and that they were carrying out business as per the law.
The holy area was demarcated to prohibit the slaughtering, sale and purchase of meat and meat products in Panchkula including the commercial zone in Mansa Devi Complex (MDC) as well.
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The demarcation of the prohibited zone starting from Mata Mansa Devi Temple along the border of Mansa Devi Complex (MDC) and cantonment area towards the south boundary up to Singh Dwar covering Sector-5 of MDC.
It also included an area from Singh Dwar along the border of MDC and Chandigarh towards the west boundary up to the light point near Chandigarh boundary near IT Park covering Sectors 5-A, 5-B, 5-D and 6 of MDC.
The prohibited zone also included the light point near Chandigarh boundary near IT Park towards Dolphin Chowk up to the boundary of Sector-4 MDC and reserved forest boundary.