NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi will soon revise the minimum distance between meat shops and religious places and the quantum of fine for flouting the rule. In this regard, amendments to the meat policy were passed recently by the MCD House in October. However, the meat traders strongly opposed the amendments, fearing that the new regulations would adversely impact nearly 6,000 meat shops under the civic body’s jurisdiction and may even force many to shut businesses, officials said.
The change in the policy would reduce the minimum distance between meat shops and religious places by 50 meters. Currently, the minimum distance is 150-metre radius. The amendment will cut it to 100 meters, they added.
According to officials, in densely populated areas such as north-east, east and parts of central Delhi, setting a minimum distance between meat shops and religious places to 150 metres is practically not feasible. On December 28, a private member bill in this regard was passed in the MCD’s House meeting wherein a proposal for four amendments in the meat policy was approved including revision of minimum distance, reduction in fine imposed for violations, renewal licence fee and minimum space to set-up a shop in category A residential areas.
The proposals were passed to slash the fee charged for the renewal of the license for a meat shop to Rs 5,000 from Rs 7,000, bringing down the fine imposed in case of violation of rules to Rs 10,000.
What new policy says
The minumum distance from a religious place to meat shop will be 100 metres (in radius) Fine imposed for rules violation will be halved to Rs 10,000. At present fine is `20,000 and for repeated offece Rs 50,000 Fee for renewal license will be reduced to Rs 5,000 from Rs 7,000 There are 6,000 meat shops.
