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.
