MCG seals 20 illegal meat shops

The municipal body sealed shops whose owners could not get requisite permits/licences. The MCG has issued 102 licences to meat shop owners in the last six months, but officials estimate that there are around 150 illegal meat shops in the city, many of which are in residential areas

Continuing its crackdown on illegal meat shops, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) sealed 20 such establishments on Sunday in the presence of a police team at Chakkarpur, Kanhai, Badshahpur and Harijan Colony.

The MCG sealing drive was carried out in the presence of teams from the police, enforcement and sanitation departments on Monday. (HT)

According to the MCG officials, they had first sent notices to the shop owners for procuring the requisite licences and permits, and acted against those that failed to comply.

“We received information that these meat shops were illegal and accordingly sent notices so shop owners could get permits within the stipulated time or else face the prospect of the establishment getting sealed. The MCG carried out the sealing drive only against those who did not have permits,” MCG medical officer Ashish Singla said.

Singla led the sealing drive which was carried out in the presence of teams from the police, enforcement and sanitation departments.

“The MCG has forwarded a letter to each police station, whose jurisdiction covers the areas where the illegal shops are located, for registering a FIR under Section 338 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, for unlawful slaughter of animals. It carries a maximum sentencing of six months of imprisonment,” Singla said.

The MCG surveyed the city for illegal meat shops after being directed by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on October 8, 2017, during a janta darbar for cracking down on such establishments in residential areas.

Meat shops which were constructed in residential areas before the Master City plan was conceptualised are exempt from being termed ‘illegal’ owing to lack of clarity in demarcation.

On January 9, MCG officials had sealed six illegal meat shops cum slaughterhouses at Naharpur, Kanhai village, Wazirabad and Sector 37 after shopkeepers failed to procure a licence.