Meat shops in Haridwar to be shifted to outskirts ahead of Ardh Kumbh

In the run-up to the Ardh Kumbh Mela, the Haridwar Municipal Corporation (HMC) on Monday approved a proposal to ban the sale of raw meat across city limits. Following the decision, all meat shops will be relocated to Sarai village on the city’s outskirts, officials said.

The 45-day-long Ardh Kumbh fair is scheduled to begin from January 14, 2027, the day of Makar Sankranti, a Hindu festival celebrated to mark winter harvest. The government is anticipating at least 6-7 crore people to visit the fair, which will end on Maha Shivratri.

The decision of banning the sale of meat in the “holy” town was taken at a meeting of the HMC’s board. The proposal drew objections from some Congress councillors but was later passed by a majority vote from Bharatiya Janata Party councillors.

The decision is an expansion of the already restricted sale and consumption of meat, liquor, and eggs within a 5-km radius of Har Ki Pauri, the city’s main bathing ghat on the banks of river Ganga.

Mayor Kiran Jaisal informed that about 56 shops have already been constructed in Sarai village to facilitate the relocation.

“Public sentiment has been taken into account in arriving at this decision,” he said.

Municipal Commissioner Nandan Kumar told mediapersons that meat shops in Jwalapur will be shut down and shifted to the designated site in Sarai. He said a decision on establishments such as restaurants and dhabas serving meat would be taken at a later stage. Separately, the Commissioner announced that registration will now be compulsory for residents keeping more than five dairy animals, including cows and buffaloes, within municipal limits.

Entry for Hindus only’

Earlier this year, Ganga Sabha, a trust that manages religious affairs at the Ganga ghats in Haridwar, had demanded a ban on the entry of non-Hindus in the Kumbh Mela. 

Shri Ganga Sabha president Nitin Gautam told The Hindu that the outfit has communicated to the Uttarakhand government to declare the area where the fair will be held “exclusively for Hindus” .

“It is the need of the hour that before the upcoming Kumbh, the entry of non-Hindus should be banned at all Ganga ghats and religious places in the Kumbh Mela area,” he said.