Shut Deonar abbatoir for 8 days for Ganpati, Paryushan, says BJP

Despite the flak it received last year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has once again demanded the city abattoir at Deonar remain shut not just during Paryushan Parv — a fasting period observed by the Jain community — but also during Ganesh festival — for four days each.

Last year, the party demanded closing the abattoir for eight days. Most of the meat consumed in Mumbai comes from the abattoir.

Paryushan Parv starts from August 29 and ends on September 6. The Ganesh festival begins on September 5.

BJP MLA Raj Purohit has written to civic chief Ajoy Mehta stating the demands.

Last year, a major controversy broke out between the BJP and its alliance partner, the Shiv Sena, in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) – the former pushed for shutting slaughter houses for eight days.

Before that, the abattoir would be shut for four days – two days as per the civic body’s resolution and two days as per the state’s GR.

Following the BJP’s demand of eight days, however, an irked Sena and other Opposition parties forced the cancellation of the civic body’s resolution, which allowed shutting Deonar abattoir only for two days. Last year, it was Purohit and another BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar who had met the civic chief demanding the eight-day ban.

The Sena said it will not support the demand this year either.

Trushna Vishwasrao, leader of the House and Sena corporator, said, “According to the state’s resolution, the slaughter houses will be shut for two days. But we will not allow adding more days. There has been no practice of shutting abattoirs during Ganeshotsav except on the first day.”

An all-party delegation will visit Kashmir in the first week of September in stepped up efforts by the government to end a wave of violence that claimed the life of another youth in the valley on Friday.

The decision to send the team came a day after Union home minister Rajnath Singh ended a twoday visit to Kashmir, announcing the government’s willingness to speak to “anybody” and promising an alternative to pellet guns which have left hundreds of people with eye injuries.

“The exact date of the visit and composition of the delegation will be finalised after consultation with all political parties,” said a senior government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to sound her out about the all-party delegation’s visit, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti might push for release of separatist leaders to enable them to hold rallies, which will allow protestors to vent their anger democratically.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Shakeel Ahmad Ganai was killed when security forces fired on a group of protesters in Pulwama district.

The death toll since the killing of militant leader Burhan Wani rose to 69 even as the valley remained under for the 49th day.

(With inputs from HTC, Srinagar)