While Uttar Pradesh faces a shortage of meat after Chief Minister Adityanath ordered a crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses, the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal has rolled out a new initiative to make meat more accessible in the state capital. Under the initiative named “Meat on Wheelz”, frozen packaged meat and ready-to-eat foods such as biryani and roast duck will be home-delivered across Kolkata, reported The Indian Express.
The scheme was launched by the Animal Resources Development Minister Swapan Debnath on Monday and the popular “Haringhata meat” will be provided by the West Bengal Livestock Development Corporation Limited. Only three vans have been deployed for the time being across Kolkata, but the number of vehicles will be increased depending on the project’s success, the English daily reported, quoting an unidentified official.
On Tuesday, Mamata Banerjee had expressed concern about the crackdown on slaughterhouses in UP. “People are afraid and many are scared about the differences over caste, creed and religion,” she had tweeted. “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas” should not remain merely a slogan, she had said, adding that the Constitution needs to be safeguarded.
Following Uttar Pradesh’s crackdown, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand have also followed the suit.
On Monday, meat sellers across Uttar Pradesh began an indefinite strike to protest against the crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses. They alleged that that they are being targeted under the new dispensation. Lucknow has suffered the most as its four legal slaughterhouses were shut down between 2013 and 2015. On March 21, three meat shops owned by members of the Muslim community were set ablaze in Hathras.
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