UP govt cracks down on illegal slaughterhouses in Ghaziabad

GHAZIABAD: The power of the newly-elected Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath is being felt heavily in Ghaziabad District, with the shutdown of illegal slaughterhouses and meat shops in Ghaziabad, after Allahabad and Lakhimpur Khiri districts of the state.

On Tuesday, cops pulled down the shutters on 15 illegal slaughterhouses and meat shops in Kela Bhatta area of Ghaziabad. “They were being run without license”, said police officials.

The closure of illegal slaughterhouses was a major poll plank of the Bhartiya Janta Party's (BJP) in the recent Assembly polls. Even Yogi Adityanath and BJP president Amit Shah highlighted the issue during the election campaign and assured people that they will ban illegal slaughter houses as soon as they come to power.

Earlier, Adityanath had led a drive against cow slaughter in the eastern region of the state. The move was also supported by several animal rights group, who have been running a campaign against illegal slaughterhouses for a while now.

The officials stated that these illegal slaughterhouses deal with buffalo meat, and some with cows and bullocks, which are banned in Uttar Pradesh under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955.

Easy and cheap availability of the meat increases the demand, thus attracting more and more traders to open up new slaughterhouses for a wealthy business.

According to the most recent estimates by the state Animal Husbandry department, Uttar Pradesh is responsible for maximum production and export of buffalo meat, with earnings of more than Rs 2,700 crore.

The move is likely affect the livelihood of about two lakh people, who are employed in these slaughterhouses.

Several right-wing groups, including the Hindu Raksha Dal, had recently staged demonstrations against illegal slaughterhouses rampant in Ghaziabad.