The BMC’s general body on Friday decided to amend its 1964 and 1994 resolutions that banned the sale of meat in the city and ordered the closure of the Deonar slaughterhouse during two days of Paryushan, a Jain festival.
In recent years during Paryushan, the ban is effective on four days, the other two based on a state government order.
Civic authorities said that Friday’s BMC resolution notwithstanding, the matter will be decided by the high court. A PIL by the Bombay Mutton Dealers Association has challenged as unconstitutional and discriminatory the four-day meat ban. Butchers’ counsel Zubin Behramkamdin said the ban on sale of meat was being implemented for the first time by the BMC.
On Friday, Samajwadi Party leader in the BMC Rais Shaikh moved an amendment to cancel the 1964 and 1994 resolutions. The 1964 resolution got 111 votes in favour of it being amended and 24 against. The proposal for the 1994 resolution amendment got 113 votes in favour and 23 against.
Mayor Snehal Ambekar approved the proposal for the amendment, after which the BJP sought a poll over the issue, which was held after much opposition.
The Samajwadi Party demanded that the slaughterhouse be kept open and sale of meat allowed on the grounds that it restricted people’s freedom to eat as they like. Alienating the BJP in the BMC, its alliance partner Shiv Sena voted in favour of the resolutions being amended.
Shaikh said, “The resolution had only suggested that the Deonar slaughterhouse be shut during two days of Paryushan as per local body resolution. This was done in good faith by corporators at the time. But over the years the BJP went on stretching it and interpreting it in several ways. It totally misused the good intentions of the corporators who had passed the resolution. Now history stands corrected.”
Manoj Kotak, BJP leader in the BMC, said his party is not against meat eaters and all that BJP corporators are opposed to is the resolutions being amended. “Keeping the abattoir shut is a way of lending approval to nonviolence. Not killing on those days has been going on since 1964. When Rais Shaikh sought to open the proposal, we opposed it because we did not want the legacy of nonviolence to discontinue.”
Sandeep Deshpande, MNS leader in the BMC, called the latest development a victory of the common man. “When Marathi manoos come together and fight over an issue, they can definitely emerge victorious,” he said.