Meat shops in Old Gurgaon likely to escape CM’s licence directive

There is no clear demarcation of residential and commercial areas in Old Gurgaon, which is likely to work in favour of meat shops pending licence

In a relief to meat shop owners of Old Gurgaon, their approval for licensing is likely to remain unaffected by Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s order to stop issuance of new licences to meat shops in residential areas.

Haryana CM had ordered that no licences should be issues to meat shops in residential areas. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

According to officials of Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), most areas such as Sadar Bazaar and Jacobpura in Old Gurgaon were developed before the concept of master plan came about. As a result, demarcation of residential and commercial areas is unclear in these parts of Old Gurgaon.

MCG officials claimed that commercial and residential areas co-exist in these areas, similar to Chandi Chowk in New Delhi. Since there is no clear demarcation of residential and commercial zones in these parts of Old Gurgaon, the meat shops, it seems, don’t have much to fret about.

“During discussions on banning issuance of meat licence to shops in residential areas, I sought more clarity on the term ‘residential’ in parts of Old Gurgaon that were developed before the concept of planned townships came about. As there is no benchmark to differentiate the two, no action could be taken without extensive research and consultation,” MCG Commissioner V Umashankar said.

For meat shop owners of Old Gurgaon, the ambiguity over demarcation of commercial and residential areas has come as big relief.

“I had applied for my shop’s licence in May and have been waiting on its approval since then. In the light the CM’s order, I was worried if my shop would be deemed legal under the new rule. While there is still no guarantee that it will, any development in favour of meat shop owners quantifies as a positive sign,” Aslam Khan, a meat shop owner at Sadar Bazaar, said.

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In Jacobpura, MCG officials reiterated that there will be no change with regard to the status of meat shops closed six months ago, following complaints by residents over being located next to a temple.

On Sunday, Khattar had directed civic officials to stop issuing new licenses during a Janta Darbar (public meeting). Roughly 250 licence applications are awaiting approval from the MCG.