NDMC to hold survey, may shift shops

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has decided to conduct a survey in the area under its jurisdiction, to find out if any eatery near religious places is selling or serving non-vegetarian food. The decision was taken at a council meeting on Wednesday.

The issue was discussed after the NDMC Chairman and Vice-Chairman visited the Sri Venkateswara Swamy-Tirupati Balaji Temple and found that many shopkeepers were selling non-vegetarian food near the temple wall.

NDMC Vice-Chairman, Satish Upadhyay said, "I visited the Sri Venkateswara Swamy-Tirupati Balaji Temple along with the NDMC Chairman and found that many shopkeepers are selling and serving non-vegetarian food near the wall connecting to the temple, which is not good.

Such issues will not be tolerated and I warn the heads of departments to take immediate action on it." "All NDMC areas should be surveyed to check if meat shops are near or adjoining to religious places and these should be relocated," he added. The decision by the civic body comes weeks after South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) had asked for closure of meat shops under their jurisdiction during Navratri. Fear of the loss of livelihood spread across meat markets in the city in April after the SDMC Mayor Mukesh Suryan threatened serious action if the meat shops were not shut down during the nine-day Navratri festival. EDMC Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal followed suit and called for the shops' shutting down. However, most meat shops in these areas remained open with owners citing the absence of an official order against it.