The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Thursday said that it can’t pass an order directing that meat shops along the Kanwar Yatra routes be shut, since no such provision exists under the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, 1957.
This comes a day after Law and Order Minister Kapil Mishra announced that meat shops will remain shut on yatra routes. He had also said that the decision was taken jointly by the Delhi government and the MCD, which was echoed by Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh.
The annual Kanwar Yatra begins in the month of Shravan. It will begin on Friday and culminate on July 25.
In a written reply to a question in the MCD House, the civic body said that under the DMC Act, there is no provision to shut meat shops along the routes of the Kanwar Yatra. However, in the past few years, it has been observed that owners of these establishments voluntarily keep their shops closed during the pilgrimage.
Maintaining that MCD officials have been asked to ensure that meat shops along the yatra routes are “covered”, the reply added, “In order to not hurt the religious sentiments of the devotees, officials are told to run drives from July 11 to July 23, enforcing no illegal sale of meat… on the road or footpath, and (ensure that) the meat shops… are covered.”
The Mayor echoed the civic body’s legal position. “We will make a request to meat shop owners to voluntarily shut their shops in deference to the religious sentiments associated with the Kanwar Yatra,” he told PTI.
Leader of the House, Pravesh Wahi, said, “Strict action will be taken against illegal shops. Those that are legal, we will request them to shut down their shops. The Mayor has already requested them…”
