Meat and eggs may be banned in Haridwar civic area. But concerns and a constitutionality test remain

If the resolution passes, councillors estimate that more than 100 establishments and the livelihoods of 10,000 people will be affected.

Currently, a meat ban is in effect, owing to pre-Independence bylaws, within a 5-km radius of Har Ki Pauri ghat.

BJP mayor Jaisal said that if the resolution is passed at the meeting, in which the party has 40 councillors and the support of an independent corporator in the 60-member house, there will be a formal hearing where residents can raise objections. “After this, it can be notified in the gazette, and the process will be completed in two months,” she said.

However, municipal commissioner Nandan Kumar said the process will take time, as they have to conduct a constitutionality test of the proposal. “Even if the proposal is passed, we will have to hold a hearing for objections and examine it through a legal lens. The board has the power to pass the resolution, but there are other steps before it makes it to the gazette,” he said. The current bylaws banning the meat sale have exceptions in parts of Jwalapur, where Muslims have a sizeable population.

Councillor Arshad Khwaja said that their opposition is not to the relocation of raw meat shops, but to restaurants. “We have given a representation against this move. People of all faiths run businesses here. More than a hundred restaurants run within the municipal limits. We have flagged that if the proposal is passed, ritual sacrifices for Bakr Eid will also be affected. Does this mean meat cannot be cooked in homes and private spaces?” he said.

As per the representation, multiple councillors said that the Municipal Corporation’s proposal to ban hotels serving cooked meat and the sale of eggs in the suburban area of Jwalapur needs to be reconsidered. “In this regard, we, the residents of the city, wish to register our objection and submit that such a decision would violate the rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. Additionally, imposing a ban on the sale of cooked meat and eggs would not be in the public interest. If implemented, this proposal would affect a population of over one lakh people and put the livelihoods of approximately 10,000 individuals at risk. Therefore, we humbly request you to kindly remove this proposal from the agenda of the Municipal Corporation board,” it said.