MUMBAI: Vadodara Municipal Corporation in Gujarat has issued verbal orders saying roadside stalls cannot openly sell non-veg food items, citing complaints of foul smell and cruelty to animals.
The civic body has launched a drive to penalise street hawkers selling non-vegetarian food openly.
Hitendra Patel, chairman of the standing committee of the civic body, has verbally instructed officials to ensure implementation of the order that says stalls/carts must ensure meat is suitably ‘covered.’
The direction will also apply to carts selling egg preparations.
“It has to do with our religious sentiments. It may have been the practice for years to sell non-veg food by openly displaying it, but the time has come to correct it,” Patel said.
The move comes close on heels of similar orders in Rajkot that instructed stalls selling non-veg food to remain only in the designated hawking zones, away from main roads.
Civic officials have insisted on written order, saying they will not force non-veg food stall owners to obey the verbal instruction.
They said whenever there is a specific complaint, action is taken.