Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government has ordered the closure of mutton shops that are operating without a license in the state, a decision taken after the Gujarat High court slammed the state government for allowing the shops to run illegally. The court last Monday expressed dissatisfaction with the authorities' drive to seal meat shops and slaughterhouses operating without licenses and selling unhygienic meat.
The state government informed the HC that of 4,323 meat shops and slaughterhouses surveyed by the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority (GSLSA), the government instituted prosecution against 3,221 shops, and sealed 97 shops of the 2,602 found operating without licences. It also told the court that as many as 1,104 of the shops surveyed were found closed by the authorities.
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State government spokesperson and health minister Pradhan Rishikesh Patel said, "A survey was conducted by the state government in which it was found that around 4000 mutton shops without licenses are running in different districts of the state. The government started a campaign to close all such illegal shops. Cases have been registered against more than 3200 mutton shop owners, running businesses without licenses in the initial phase in January."
Patel further said, "The government is determined to ensure that every citizen of the state gets healthy food. In January, District Legal Service Authorities (DLSA) conducted a survey of more than 4300 meat shops in municipalities and metropolitan areas in the state in which more than 3200 shops were found selling unhealthy meat and that too illegally."
"A total of 1247 meat shops have been sealed so far of which 813 shops were from 8 metropolitan municipalities and 434 shops from municipalities. It has always been the endeavour of the government that the health of any citizen of the state should not be compromised."
