Gurugram, March 19: Meat shops in Gurugram will remain closed on Tuesdays. The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) on Thursday passed an order during a meeting in this regard. As per the order, all the meat shops, under the jurisdiction of the civic body, will not open on Tuesdays. The decision to prohibit the sale of meat on Tuesdays was taken after some councillors proposed to close the meat shops on Tuesdays citing “Hindu Sentiments”, reported the Indian Express. Eating ‘Halal’ Is Forbidden for Hindus and Sikhs; Delhi Restaurants Must Mention About Meat Being Served to Customers: SDMC Panel.

MCG Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh pointed out that “food is an independent choice”. “In my opinion, this is an individual choice. I eat, my wife doesn’t eat, it is independent. I cannot force her and she cannot force me… When we cannot decide on this at home itself, the House should think before making any decision regarding the entire city,” reported the media house quoting Singh as saying in the meeting. Navratri 2018: Hindu Groups Forcibly Shut Meat Shops in Gurgaon.

The MCG also approved proposals to double the licence fee for meat shops from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000. However, some councillors even demanded that the licence fee should be hiked to Rs 50,000. The civic body also increased the penalty for running such shops illegally from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000. Notably, the MCG Commissioner said that a “reasonable” increase should be made in the licence fee and not to an extent “that everything closes”. Shops that are penalised three times will be sealed. If the owners are found to have broken the seal, an FIR will be filed against them, the commissioner said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 19, 2021 04:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).