The Haridwar Municipal Corporation has approved a proposal to ban the sale of raw meat within the city limits ahead of the Ardh Kumbh, reported The Hindu on Wednesday.

The 45-day-long Ardh Kumbh will begin on January 14, 2027, the day of the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti. The authorities expect six crore to seven crore visitors to the fair, the newspaper reported.

All meat shops operating in the city will be removed and relocated to the nearby Sarai village, The Indian Express quoted Mayor Kiran Jaisal as saying.

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A total of 56 shops have been constructed in the village for this purpose and the allotment process has been initiated, she added.

“So far, 20 shopkeepers with licences have been identified,” the mayor was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. “The remaining shops will be allotted as per demand.”

The proposal to ban the sale of meat in the city was passed with a majority vote on Monday. It amended the Haridwar municipal bylaws to expand the ban on the sale of raw meat.

The bylaws earlier restricted the sale and consumption of meat, liquor and eggs within a five-km radius of the Har-ki-Pauri ghat in Haridwar.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party has 40 councillors and the support of an Independent corporator in the 60-member corporation. Objections will be invited on the matter, reported The Indian Express.

Independent councillor Ahsan Ansari had opposed the proposal on Monday, stating that it was “hurriedly passed without any thought of the implementation”, the newspaper reported.

“Several border areas in the municipality will keep their meat shops running, while those within will be pushed out,” he was quoted as saying. “Around 150 shopkeepers will not be allotted a shop in Sarai, and even after allotment, their business will suffer as the distance to these shops will impact the footfall.”

Also read: The illogic of meat bans