Traders angry as Idgah abattoir is shut down

Meat traders in and around the old city were worried and angry as the Delhi Idgah Slaughterhouse was sealed on Wednesday morning, reports Jatin Anand.

Meat traders in and around the old city were worried and angry as the Delhi Idgah Slaughterhouse was sealed on Wednesday morning.

HT Image

The traders protested against the sealing at the Shahi Idgah roundabout in Paharganj.

A modern abattoir in Ghazipur, on Delhi’s eastern border, takes over from the two centuries old Idgah butchery. As for the old property, the municipal corporation has proposed to build a mall in its place.

Worrylines

Shahbaz Khan (27), a meat vendor from Karol Bagh, said, “The Idgah slaughterhouse being nearby, my transportation costs were negligible. But now I will have to pay much more for cartage, and also engage a transporter.”

“The market in Ghazipur is smaller: how will it accommodate so many workers?” said Mohammad Mubarik (18), a vendor in Paharganj.

Even those not directly involved in the slaughtering business were worried.

“Besides me, there were more than 50 other fodder sellers in the Idgah market. But we are not getting a shop near the new slaughterhouse,” said Mohammad Javed (18), a fodder seller.

While the protest was peaceful, teams of Delhi Police and Reserve Police Force armed with batons and tear gas had been deployed to maintain law and order.