The High Court has asked the Haryana government to collect data on all the slaughterhouses as well as meat and fish markets in the state. (File)
The Haryana government told the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday that it has shut all meat shops in Sirsa and “at present, there is no meat shop open in Sirsa city”. A petition, filed by a gurdwara in Sirsa, had sought action against the slaughterhouses and meat shops running in the vicinity of the religious place. A copy of the compliance report from Sirsa Municipal Council (SMC), submitted in the High Court in the civil writ petition filed by Gurdwara Guru Gobind Singh Ji Sirsa, reveals that a three-member committee was formed on Saturday for closing the meat shops at Balmiki Chowk, Sanjay Colony, Dabwali Road and HUDA Chowk in Sirsa.
“Action has been taken by the committee for closing the meat shops dated 22-07-2017,” said the executive officer of the SMC in the compliance report. “There were 60 meat shops in Sirsa city. The Municipal Council, Sirsa, issued notices to all the owners of meat shops on 15-05-2017,” he added. SMC Executive Officer Attar Singh told The Indian Express that “all the 60 shops were running illegally and had not applied for licence”. The High Court on Monday asked the Haryana government to collect data on all the slaughterhouses as well as meat and fish markets in the state and take corrective measures to enforce the law on the regulation of sale of meat in all the districts. The government has been asked to furnish all the data during the next hearing on September 1.
Advocate Arpandeep Narula, the counsel for the gurdwara committee, said the petition had been filed to implement the recent Haryana government’s decision to take strict action against illegal slaughterhouses and unlicensed meat shops. “Because of the illegal and unlicensed slaughterhouses being run in contravention to the guidelines of the state government, the well-being of inhabitants of the said area is being put in risk zone, alongwith hurting the religious sentiments,” said Narula in the petition.
Though Advocate-General Baldev Raj Mahajan has assured the HC bench that the matter of illegal slaughterhouses and meat shops was being taken up by the chief minister himself, Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain observed that he would not close the case.
