Meat Shops Should be Shut During Navratri in Delhi, South, East Delhi Mayors Order

Meat shops in Delhi should be shut during the nine-day Navratri festival during which devotees of goddess Durga abstain from consuming non-vegetarian food. The diktat was issued on Monday by South Delhi Municipal Corporation in a letter stating: “During Navratri days, people visit temples to pay their respect to the Goddess and to seek blessings for themselves and their families. During these days, people forgo even use of onion and garlic in their diet and the sight of meat being sold in open or near temples makes them uncomfortable.”

Navratri began on April 2 and will continue till April 11. “Keeping in view the sentiments and feelings of the general public, necessary directions may be issued to the officers concerned to take action for the closure of meat shops during the nine-day period of the Navratri festival extending from April 2, 2022, to April 11, 2022,” the civic body said.

The letter by South Delhi Mayor Mukkesh Suryaan also said the religious beliefs and sentiments of Hindu devotees are “affected” when they “come across meat shops or when they have to bear with the foul smell of the meat on their way to offer their daily prayers”.

“Moreover, some meat shops dump waste in gutters or beside the road, which the stray dogs feed on,” Suryaan said, adding that it is not only unhygienic but also an appalling sight for passersby.

The letter addressed to SDMC Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, also stated that the closing of meat shops near temples is also necessary to maintain cleanliness in and around temples.

In line with the order of the South Delhi Mayor, East Delhi civic body Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal issued a similar diktat, asking meat shop owners to close their shops during the festival.

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