Sale of meat products near Mansa Devi: Panchkula MC chief proposes fresh ban
Five days after Haryana government withdrew a December 2022 order declaring parts of Panchkula in vicinity of Mata Mansa Devi Shrine as a holy area to prohibit slaughtering, sale and purchase of meat products in demarcated zone, Panchkula municipal commissioner (MC) has proposed a fresh prohibition on slaughtering, sale and purchase of meat and meat products in the area.
In a February 25 public notice, Panchkula MC commissioner Aparajita said anyone having an objection to this can file objections in the MC commissioner’s office within a month from the date of publication of the notice.
While a notification ordering the withdrawal of December 21, 2022, holy area order was issued by the urban local bodies department on February 20 as the Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) had stayed the operation of the 2022 order, the fresh move to prohibit sale and purchase of meat derives strength from the powers of the municipal commissioner under the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act.
“The prohibition on slaughtering, sale and purchase of meat products has been proposed in exercise of powers conferred to the municipal commissioner under sections 320, 329, 331 and 333 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994 and in pursuance of a September 29, 2022 resolution passed by Panchkula Municipal Corporation,’’ said an official.
Justice Vinod Bhardwaj of the HC had on April 17, 2023, stayed the operation of the holy area order after the petitioners contended that the 2022 order prohibiting slaughtering, sale and purchase of meat products in the demarcated zone did not refer to any statutory provision in exercise of which such a declaration can be issued. The petitioners, which included local restaurateurs and shopkeepers, contended that in the absence of the invocation of any such substantive power, the enforcement of restraint against the petitioners from carrying on their business is violative of the rights granted to them. The petitioners said they were duly issued licences by the competent authority to deal in the sale and purchase of meat and meat products in the said area and that they were carrying out business as per the law.
The area proposed to be prohibited for slaughtering, sale and purchase of meat and meat products in Panchkula included the commercial zone in Mansa Devi Complex as well.
The proposed prohibited zone starts from Mata Mansa Devi Temple along Mansa Devi Complex (MDC) border and cantonment area towards the south boundary up to Singh Dwar, covering MDC’s Sector-5.
It also included the area from Singh Dwar along the MDC border and Chandigarh towards the west boundary up to the light point near the Chandigarh boundary near IT Park covering sectors 5- A, 5-B, 5-D and 6 of MDC. The prohibited zone also included the light point near Chandigarh boundary near IT Park towards Dolphin Chowk up to the MDC’s Sector 4 boundary and reserved forest boundary.
