Meat sellers in UP protest against action on slaughterhouses
The meat sellers in various parts of Uttar Pradesh on Monday went on an indefinite strike against state government's crackdown on slaughterhouses. As per All India Meat and Livestock Exporters Association, the accumulated losses in the last two months run into ?4,000 crore. The UP government, however, clarified that action is being taken against only illegal slaughterhouses.
Meat items are flying off the menu from a majority of eateries in Uttar Pradesh as a host of illegal abattoirs have been forced to shut shop under the Yogi Adityanath government.The Muslim-dominated western parts, adjoining the national Capital, are among the worst affected, a reality check by MAIL TODAY found.While the debilitated meat supply highlights the fact that erstwhile governments in UP had turned a blind eye to unlawful slaughterhouses, it also proves the incumbent government had no consolidated plan to avoid a crisis-like situation. "I have not seen such scarcity of raw meat in the last 35 years that we have been in business," said Mohamad Khalid, owner of Al-Nafis dhaba at Dasna on NH 24. "The last 10 days have been harrowing. This is worse than the demonetisation phase," said Khalid, the second generation owner of the popular dhaba serving highway frequenters.RS 4,000 CRORE IN LOSSESThe accumulated losses in the last two months since the BJP manifesto promised closure of illegal slaughterhouses runs into Rs 4,000 crore, according to All India Meat and Livestock Exporters Association. Association members recently met Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow and requested him to intervene in protecting legal business and clear confusion.Four mechanised plants, which slaughter and process buffalo meat, were shut last week by district administration across UP. Two of them were in Meerut and one each in Bijnor and Saharanpur.The exporters' association said while the move by the government is against illegal slaughterhouses, an overzealous tribe of officers and vigilante groups have forced even legal traders to suspend operations. "Transporting meat is a risky task nowadays and only very few vehicle-owners are ready to stick their necks out," said a meat trader.But numbers speak for themselves. "UP has only 41 slaughter houses, which are certified by the Union ministry. These units contribute to 60-70 per cent of the total export of buffalo meat, worth around Rs 320 billion. The fear of closure is among the owners' mind, who are now being troubled by several agencies," Fauzan Alavi, member secretary of the exporters' association told MAIL TODAY.CERTIFICATION PROCESS A TEDIOUS PROCESS, SAYS SMALL SLAUGHTERHOUSESSeveral small illegal slaughterhouses that the MAIL TODAY team spoke to were united in complaining that certification process for an abattoir is a tedious process, often requiring multiple clearances at the state and central level. "It is not feasible for a small operator to attain all the clearances," said one such owner, who downed shutters soon after Yogi's ascension as CM.The closure of these slaughterhouses has a ripple effect on smaller units selling meat or cooked preparations. A number of small eateries and mobile food carts in Muzaffarnagar and Ghaziabad have been out of business.Chetan, a chicken shop owner at Murad Nagar in Ghaziabad, told MAIL TODAY that 20 members of his family are dependent on his shop, running for seven years. But now, uncertainty looms on them as he could be forced to look for other job. "Police warned me to shut the shop. I have put a curtain at the entry of my shop to keep business limited only to loyal customers. I will apply for a license at the tehsil office and if I do not get it, I would think of another business like selling vegetables," he said."Taking surprise decisions is the BJP's trademark," said owner of a food cart, Ishaan Qureshi, in Muzaffarnagar. "First it was note ban and now meat ban. We live in an area where economy depends on unorganised sectors. Now people are losing bread and jobs."Meat shops and eateries in proximity with the national Capital still had an easy run as they shifted their supply route towards Delhi's Ghazipur meat mandi."Our hotel has a daily consumption of 30-35 kg of buffalo meat that was earlier available in slaughterhouses locally. Now, we are purchasing it from Ghazipur at Rs 170-180 per kg, which is Rs 30 higher than earlier," said Mohammad Akhlak, owner of Shahdan Muslim Dhaba on NH 24. "Ninety per cent of eateries have either suspended operation temporarily or raised prices."Akhlak said in the last one week police vigilance has been high and seizure of meat consignment always looms large during transportation. There is total fear in the mind of street vendors and roadside eateries about restarting their businesses, he added.