Meat shops may move out of Haridwar urban limits ahead of 2027 Ardh Kumbh

Ahead of the Ardh Kumbh scheduled next year in Haridwar, the district administration has proposed relocating all raw meat shops operating within the city’s urban limits to Sarai village on the outskirts.

Haridwar Mayor Kiran Jaiswal told PTI that a proposal has been drafted and will be presented at the Municipal Corporation Board meeting on April 6.

According to the Haridwar Municipal Corporation bylaws, the sale and consumption of meat, liquor and eggs are already prohibited within a five-kilometre radius of Har Ki Pauri, the city’s main bathing ghat on the Ganga.

Jaiswal said all shops selling raw meat within the urban area would be shifted to Sarai village once the proposal is approved by the board.

She added that although the municipal corporation has issued licences for only 20 meat shops, many more are operating illegally in the city.

“This not only creates unhygienic conditions but also aggravates the problem of stray dogs,” the mayor said, adding that once the proposal is passed, action will be taken against illegally operating shops and fines will be imposed.

Jaiswal further said the issue of serving cooked meat in hotels and roadside eateries will also be discussed during the board meeting.

A large number of open-air meat shops currently operate in the Jwalapur and Jagjitpur areas, with Hindu organisations frequently staging protests demanding their removal.

Mahant Ravindra Puri, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad and chairman of the Mansa Devi Temple Trust, welcomed the proposal, saying crores of devotees are expected to visit Haridwar during the Ardh Kumbh, and the presence of meat and liquor shops in the city hurts religious sentiments.

State Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan also said all necessary steps would be taken to ensure that religious sentiments are not hurt during the Kumbh Mela, including the relocation of meat shops from the city’s urban areas.