Bengaluru traders lose out on business due to meat ban

Every year, the BBMP bans meat sales on at least 8 days, including Rama Navami, Gandhi Jayanti and Maha Shivaratri

With the BBMP banning animal slaughter and meat sale in its jurisdiction on account of Rama Navami, meat traders in the city said they lost a good day’s business.

Along with the ongoing month of Ramzan, it was also a Sunday when people of all communities buy and consume meat. Some shops reported losses up to Rs 25,000.

Every year, the BBMP bans meat sales on at least eight days, including Rama Navami, Gandhi Jayanti and Maha Shivaratri. This year, the Rama Navami meat ban came amid calls given by pro-Hindu outfits to boycott Halal meat. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai earlier said that “serious objections” had been raised over Halal meat and promised that the government would look into the issue before taking a stand.

The BBMP clarified that the meat ban was a “routine” order.

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At Russell Market, one of the busiest meat markets in the city, a majority of shops remained shut throughout the day. But some shops in the vicinity of the market opened during the evening hours to cater to late shoppers.

“Since the ban was announced on Saturday itself, many customers bought meat last night. That is why we did not suffer big losses on Sunday. But whatever we incurred, we will be able to recover it on Monday, hopefully. Hence, we did not open our shops,” said Fairoze Qureshi, president of the Russell Market Meat Traders’ Association.

About two kilometres away, at the Johnson Market, all meat shops were shut while the vegetable trade went on as usual. Meat delicacies were also being served at eateries within the market. Traders here also said they lost their regular Sunday business to the blanket ban.

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Tannery Road, not very far from the famous food street of Mosque Road, has dozens of meat and poultry stalls as well as a few slaughterhouses. Here, too, traders were unhappy about losing out on business but said they would follow the local body’s rules and keep their shutters down for the day.

“As it is the month of Ramzan, we usually get a lot of business on Sundays. While small stalls might have lost out on Rs 10,000-15,000 of business, medium and bigger stalls lost business worth about Rs 20,000-25,000,” a trader from Tannery Road told DH.

Meat and poultry stalls also remained closed at KR Market, another major meat market in the city.

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