The Varanasi Municipal Corporation has decided to shift all meat and fish shops operating within the city limits to designated locations on the outskirts as part of efforts to improve urban management and cleanliness, officials said on Sunday.
The proposal received approval during a meeting of the municipal corporation’s governing body, which took place at the Town Hall building in Maidagin on Saturday (June 6, 2026), under the leadership of Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari, Public Relations Officer Sandeep Srivastava added. Mr. Srivastava said comprehensive discussions were conducted regarding various facts of the city’s development, during which members supported the initiative to systematically relocate meat and fish markets to the peripheral areas of the city. Municipal Commissioner Himanshu Nagpal told the assembly that five locations had been earmarked in the initial phase of the project. These sites were located near the city’s outer limits to reduce inconvenience for residents, said municipal corporation officials.
According to the plan, meat and fish shops currently situated within the city would be moved to Ramnagar, Sujabad, Ganeshpur, Avleshpur and Shivpur in the near future, officials indicated. This initiative aimed to enhance sanitation and optimise the operation of such markets while ensuring that consumers continue to have access, they added. Mr. Srivastava said approximately 350 to 400 meat and fish shops were presently functioning within the city limits.
During the meeting, corporator Gulshan Ali mentioned that the proposal to relocate meat and fish shops outside the city limits had been presented nearly a year ago, but effective implementation had yet to occur. Addressing concerns raised by traders, Mr. Ali noted that the annual closure of meat shops during the holy month of Shravan significantly impacted the livelihoods of individuals involved in the meat trade. In response to this issue, the Municipal Commissioner assured the assembly that land had already been identified on the outskirts of the city and that the process of implementing the proposal would commence shortly.
The Congress, while terming the move unconstitutional, said the decision was part of a larger design by the ruling dispensation to impose uniformity on society. “Firstly, such a decision goes against the right to livelihood, which is the fundamental right to earn a living with dignity, and it amounts to depriving a large population of their means of survival. Secondly, the decision is part of a larger design to impose uniformity on the Hindu society. Bali chadhana [animal sacrifice] is a traditional ritual practised primarily within Shakta tantric traditions in many regions of India, at temples. So, imposing a particular decision in a whole city is wrong,” said Congress national secretary Shahnawaz Alam.
Published - June 07, 2026 05:40 pm IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
