Meat sellers, butchers share plight with UP minister Siddharth Nath Singh, ask govt to solve licence issue

The closure of illegal slaughterhouses was one of the promises in the BJP manifesto for the Assembly polls. The meat sellers and butchers, however, are not happy with the move and have termed the government’s decision against illegal slaughterhouses as 'arbitrary'.

Lucknow, March 29: A week after Uttar Pradesh government’s decision for a crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses, a delegation of meat sellers and butchers from across the state met state Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh on Tuesday. During the meeting, the delegation submitted a memorandum and informed the minister about the hardships they were facing because of the new move by the state government. The decision has however led to the closure of many meat shops across Uttar Pradesh. Soon after the decision came into effect, thousands of meat sellers took to streets and held a strike for an indefinite period, starting on Monday. The strike brought over Rs 15,000-crore industry that employs 25 lakh people in the state, to a grinding halt.

Umar Chaudhary, general secretary of All-India Jamiatul Quresh (AIMQ) said, “We informed the minister about hardships we are facing. Thousands of people have become jobless. Many poor people are struggling for food.”. “We asked him to ensure that the civic bodies start renewing licences that have expired and urged him to identify places where animals can be slaughtered until modern slaughterhouses are developed”, he was quoted by Hindustan Times.  The Uttar Pradesh government’s crackdown on slaughter houses coupled with the indefinite strike by meat sellers has not only stalled processing of meat in the state but is also touching more lives than may have been expected.

As per reports, Sirajuddin Qureshi, AIMQ president led the delegation for the meeting on Monday. The meeting comes a day after the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court asked the state government to submit details of directions and orders issued for the drive against slaughterhouses and meat shops. Shahabuddin Quraishi, general secretary of Lucknow-based Quraish Welfare Foundation said after the meeting that the minister said he will discuss the issues with officers and get back in two or three days. “We will continue with our strike until a permanent solution is found”, Quraishi informed. (ALSO READ: Yogi Adityanath’s crackdown on slaughterhouses: Allahabad HC raps UP govt, asks why weren’t illegal meat shops regularised)

The issue around the Uttar Pradesh government’s crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses gained further steam on Monday with thousands of meat sellers going on strike for an indefinite period. The strike, which started on Monday, has brought the over Rs 15,000-crore industry that employs 25 lakh people in the state, to a grinding halt.

The issue also came up for discussion in Parliament on Tuesday, with the central government claiming that only illegal slaughterhouses were closed. The meat sellers in the state alleged that police were raiding shops and forcing the closure of their establishments despite having valid licences. The issue also came up for discussion in Parliament  n Tuesday, with the central government claiming that only illegal slaughterhouses were closed. (ALSO READ: Slaughterhouse crackdown: Yogi Adityanath left many questions unanswered before taking hasty decision)

Iqbal Qureshi, president of Meat-Murga Vyapari Kalyan Samiti said the state government should have given us notice for some time before initiating the closure. Meat-Murga Vyapari Kalyan Samiti is an association of chicken sellers who have also gone on strike against the crackdown. Iqbal said they are ready to comply with the orders of the state government, the court and the National Green Tribunal. “If we were not able to comply, then the authorities could have closed our establishments.” Qureshi said the local authorities are building new colonies but are not allocating any space for slaughterhouses or meat shops. “This is why most sellers set up kiosks on the roadside,” he was quoted by Hindustan Times. The closure of illegal slaughterhouses was one of the promises in the BJP manifesto for the Assembly polls. The meat sellers and butchers, however, are not happy with the move and have termed the government’s decision against illegal slaughterhouses as ‘arbitrary’.