Varanasi Corporation to relocate meat, fish shops out of city

 

The proposal was approved during a meeting of the municipal corporation's governing body held at the Town Hall in Maidagin under the chairmanship of Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari. The meeting discussed various issues related to urban development, encroachment, and public welfare, with the relocation of meat and fish markets being one of the major decisions.

 

Public Relations Officer Sandeep Srivastava said the civic body endorsed a plan to systematically move meat and fish markets to the city's peripheral areas. Municipal Commissioner Himanshu Nagpal informed the House that authorities have already identified five locations in the first phase of the project.

 

The selected sites are located near the city's outer limits to reduce inconvenience to residents and traders. Under the plan, meat and fish shops currently operating within the city will be shifted to Ramnagar, Sujabad, Ganeshpur, Avleshpur, and Shivpur.

 

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According to officials, around 350 to 400 meat and fish shops are currently functioning within the city limits. The relocation aims to improve cleanliness, streamline market operations, and ensure continued access to these products for consumers.

 

During the meeting, corporator Gulshan Ali noted that a similar proposal had been introduced nearly a year ago but was not implemented. He also raised concerns about the impact on traders, stating that the annual closure of meat shops during the holy month of Shravan affects the livelihoods of people involved in the meat business.

 

In response, Municipal Commissioner Nagpal said that land has already been identified on the outskirts of the city and that the relocation process will begin soon.

 

Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari said the civic body plans to complete the relocation within the next six months. He stated that all the existing meat and fish shops operating within the city are illegal and said they should be shifted outside the city because Varanasi attracts lakhs of tourists every year.

 

 

However, the proposal has raised concerns among traders. Ashraf, a meat shop owner from Nathupur, said relocating meat and fish shops outside the city would cause significant inconvenience to both traders and customers. He said residents would have to travel outside the city for their daily purchases, resulting in additional expenditure of time and money.

 

"We want the administration to find a practical solution keeping in mind the convenience of traders as well as the general public," Ashraf said.

 

 

Organisations like, Akhand Parshuram Akhara, has launched a campaign in Haridwar urging food vendors to replace the term "veg biryani" with "veg pulao."

 

Members of the organisation argue that the term "veg biryani" does not align with the city's religious and cultural identity. As part of the campaign, they visited eateries and food stalls across the city and placed stickers reading "veg pulao" over signboards and menus that displayed "veg biryani."