Varanasi to shift meat, fish shops outside city limits within 6 months

The Varanasi Municipal Corporation has approved a proposal to relocate all meat and fish shops operating within the city to designated sites on its outskirts within the next six months.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the municipal corporation's House and is aimed at improving sanitation and preserving the cultural and religious character of the city, officials said.

Under the plan, meat, fish and chicken shops currently operating across the city will be shifted to five designated locations outside urban limits, including Ramnagar, Dumri, Shivpur and Chitaipur.

Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari said the civic body would develop proper facilities at the new sites, including electricity, water supply and waste-management infrastructure.

"We are not shutting down these businesses. We are relocating them to designated places outside the city and bringing them into a regulated system," Tiwari said.

He claimed that many existing outlets were operating without valid authorisation and said the relocation would help regularise the trade.

Six-month relocation plan

According to civic officials, the relocation process is expected to be completed within six months.

The municipal corporation will construct shops for existing vendors and begin the process of allotting space at the new locations.

Officials said the move would help improve cleanliness in the city and enhance the experience of visitors.

Varanasi, one of India's most important religious and cultural centres, attracts large numbers of domestic and international tourists throughout the year.

Tiwari said the proposal had earlier been approved by the executive committee before receiving unanimous backing from the municipal corporation House.

"Varanasi is a cultural and religious city and around 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh tourists visit every day. In my view, meat and fish shops should be located outside the city," he said.

The mayor added that the civic body would ensure proper waste disposal systems at the new locations to prevent environmental and sanitation issues.

The proposal is expected to affect all existing meat and fish outlets operating within municipal limits, though officials have not yet specified the number of shops that will be relocated.