MCG order will have heavy impact on business, say Gurugram meat shop owners

Gurugram A day after the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) decided to shut meat shops in the city every Tuesday, stakeholders said the move will further impact their business, which has already been hit by the pandemic and the recent avian influenza scare

Gurugram

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A day after the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) decided to shut meat shops in the city every Tuesday, stakeholders said the move will further impact their business, which has already been hit by the pandemic and the recent avian influenza scare.

They also said that people turned up to buy meat on Tuesdays as well and there was not much slowdown in sale on that particular day.

The MCG’s house meeting on Thursday saw two councillors proposing that meat shops in the city remain closed on Tuesdays keeping religious sentiments in mind. Even though the municipal commissioner, Vinay Pratap Singh, said that it was an individual choice, the proposal was approved after officials pointed out that as per the provisions of the Haryana Municipal Corporation bylaws, 2008, any municipal corporation across the state has the power to close meat shops on a single day of a week, with immediate effect.

MCG officials on Friday said the new rule will be implemented from next week onwards.

“Over the last 12 months, a number of factors beyond our control have impacted and reduced business already. The direction to close shops one day a week is only going to hit our businesses further. The MCG should realise that only one community, that also a few members from among them, does not prefer eating meat on Tuesdays. Others consume meat and MCG should factor this and cancel this decision,” said Arif Khan, a meat seller in sector 12.

Pritam Bhagat, president of Jacobpura meat shops association said that the association will write to the MCG on the matter.

“Besides writing to the MCG, there is little else we can do. Meat shops carry out sizeable business on Tuesdays. Closing them will only lead to loss of business. We will write to the MCG to withdraw their decision,” said Bhagat.

A few meat shop owners said that they were waiting for official communication or notice from the MCG on the matter.

“We have only seen the development on social media and in news. We are yet to receive any official communication from the MCG on the matter. We will take requisite action after receiving an official communication,” said David Watharkar, owner David & Company, a meat shop in DLF Phase 1.

Ashish Singla, chief medical officer (CMO), MCG, who oversees issuance of licences to meat shops, besides fining and seizing of illegal ones, said that the civic body will start enforcement measures starting next Tuesday and close meat shops found operating on the day.

Singla said that the owners will be initially given verbal warnings from the MCG to shift to this change, and continued violation will invite penalties and the possibility of sealing of their shops.

“Similar to other enforcement measures, we will give ample time to meat shop owners to shift to this change. After official warnings, we will start levying fines on them and if they continue to disobey the order, we will seal their shops,” said Singla.

He further said that the MCG will be meeting before Monday to constitute teams of officials for enforcement measures and for issuing an official notification to meat shop owners, regarding the closing of meat shops on Tuesdays.

MCG officials also said that they will be examining the provisions of the Haryana Municipal Corporation bylaws, 2008, to see if online meat delivery stores will also come under the purview.

At least two online meat delivery stores did not comment on the matter.

The closure of meat shops also took a political turn with the ruling party and the opposition having a different stance on the matter.

“Every occupation has one day off in a week. The MCG has taken a decision to shut down meat shops on Tuesday on the advice of meat shop owners. The shopkeepers are of a view that fewer people eat meat on Tuesday and their business will not be affected by observing off on Tuesday,” said OP Dhankar, Haryana BJP president.

In the Haryana Legislative Assembly on Friday, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Leader of Opposition, however, condemned MCG’s decision.

“Gurugram is a cosmopolitan city, and such type of decisions should be taken after taking advice from various stakeholders,” said Hooda.

With inputs from Pawan Sharma in Chandigarh.