The Hindu : New Delhi News : Size of meat shops to be reduced

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 08, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Size of meat shops to be reduced

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 7. Describing it as a "practical'' move, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has decided to reduce the size of meat shops in the city much below the area prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

In another major decision, the minimum distance between places of worship and meat shops have been reduced from the existing 100 square meters to just 50 square metres. This condition has been exempted in the case of mosques. The new policy on meat shops in the Capital that was approved by the MCD House at its meeting on Monday, would come into force from next month.

Though the policy was framed by an expert committee headed by the National Dairy Research Institute Chairman Nagender Sharma, a sub-committee of the MCD Standing Committee reduced the size of the meat shops against the advise of health and hygienic experts.

As per the new policy, the size of shops selling one type of meat -- sheep, goat and chicken -- or fish, has been reduced from 60 square feet to 40 square feet. The size of meat shops selling any two species -- either mutton or chicken or chicken or fish -- has been reduced from 90 square feet to 60 square feet. Same would be size of shop selling buffalo meat.

Arguing that the hygiene and health of meat should be the criteria and not the location of meat shops, the House reduced the distance between a meat shop and a religious place.

For a mosque, the condition of 50 metres would apply only in case of shops selling pork. "Further, the rule would be applicable to those places of worship having a covered area of at least 200 square feet against 400 square feet earlier," officials said.

However, keeping sentiments of people visiting religious places in mind, the condition of 100 square metre distance would continue to apply in case the premise is located directly opposite to the entry gate.

According to the new policy, all meat shops located in the vicinity of religious places should be fitted with black glass doors, which must be kept closed at all times except in case of entry or exit.

Officials said implementing the BIS standard was practically not feasible in the Capital due to constraints in availability of sufficient space. "The new policy would help in bringing the large number of illegal meat shops under the license net," they said.

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