MCG says it carries out drives, but illegal meat stores still thrive in city

Gurgaon: The MCG has issued 1,430 challans to unauthorised stores selling meat across the city and collected around Rs 9 lakh as fines last year. According to sources, the corporation hasn’t received fines from 200 illegal meat sellers yet. The MCG, according to an official, has issued licences to only 129 meat stores, while the city has over 1,000 such shops.
Last week, the civic body had issued challans to around 50 unauthorised meat shops after Hindu groups submitted a memorandum, urging the authorities to shut down all illegal meat shops during Navratri. MCG officials, however, said such drives were being carried out regularly.

“The corporation is regularly carrying out drives against illegal meat shops and unauthorised meat sellers,” MCG commissioner Yashpal Yadav told TOI.

The pertinent question, however, is that why do these drives happen during the festival season, and why doesn’t the corporation work to regularise meat shops. On Sunday itself, Gurgaon police arrested two people, and booked several others for forcefully closing down meat stores. An official said MCG had stopped the process of issuing licences to meat shops as the city did not have modern slaughterhouses.

In February, the MCG had empanelled two agencies — Gitwako India Firms and AOV Agro Foods — which will supply meat to the sellers. The civic body had issued orders, asking illegal stores to shut shop. The agencies will supply meat to licensed shops, hotels and restaurants up to 40 metric tonnes of mutton and 36 metric tonnes of chicken a day. The MCG has issued notices to the licensed meat sellers, asking them to stop procuring meat from illegal slaughterhouses. The decision for empanelment of private slaughterhouses came after the corporation could not find land for developing a modern slaughterhouse. TOI had earlier reported that the corporation had instead floated a request for proposals (RFPs) for the empanelment of private slaughterhouses which will not only provide meat but also facilities for slaughtering.