Unauthorised meat shops along Kanwar Yatra routes ordered shut in Delhi

Ahead of the Kanwar Yatra, the MCD has ordered to shut all illegal meat shops along pilgrimage routes and near Kanwar camps.

Ahead of the annual Kanwar Yatra, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has ordered a crackdown on all illegal and unlicensed meat shops operating along the Kanwar routes and near the 308 Kanwar camps in Delhi, said senior municipal officials.

Devotees carry Ganga water during Kanwar Yatra ahead of the holy month of Sawan, in Haridwar on Tuesday. (Image for representation) (ANI Video Grab)

The order, seen by HT, comes in the wake of a meeting on Kanwar Yatra preparations chaired by Delhi Cabinet minister Kapil Mishra on July 25. The office memorandum, dated June 27 and issued by MCD additional commissioner Arun Mishra, states, “During the said meeting, it was deliberated that Karwar Camps shall primarily be established at 308 original sites besides some new sites, as the case may be, and will become fully operational from July 30, the first day of Shravana month till Shivratri on August 11.”

MCD directs closure of unauthorised meat shops

Among the steps to be taken by MCD, it lists the “closure of all unauthorised/unlicensed meat shops, including those violating terms and conditions for grant of licence on the way/around all Kanwar Camp sites”.

“Removal of encroachments, ensuring deep cleaning/scavenging including removal of vegetation etc. at all Camp sites and regular scavenging work round-the-clock by deployíng sanitation manpower and machinery in three shifts at zonal level” are also mentioned.

Under the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, 1957, meat trade licenses are regulated primarily through Sections 415 to 418, which governs markets, slaughterhouses, and specific trades. The MCD enforces these provisions via its veterinary services department. Licensed shops also need to follow certain conditions on the display of meat, distance from religious structures, the type of glass, and hygiene equipment, among others. To be sure, a large number of shops operate across Delhi in violation of many of these regulations and the corporation has been previously criticised for arbitrary targeting of shops.

The MCD has also ordered frequent fumigation work be undertaken before and during the Kanwar Yatra at all camp sites, preventive measures against water and vector borne diseases, and stationing of mobile dispensaries at large pandals. This year the yatra will begin on July 30 and end on August 11.