Mumbai News

After Bombay HC’s direction, BMC permits sacrifice of 150 buffaloes for Eid each day from 6 am to 6 pm at – Times of India

MUMBAI: The Mumbai civic body in a fresh circular issued pursuant to Bombay high court direction on Friday has permitted religious sacrifice of 150 water buffaloes per day from August 1 to August 3 for Eid between 6 am and 6 pm only at the Deonar abattoir.
Vice President of All India Jamiatul Quresh Imran Babu Qureshi said, “It is shocking that the BMC has put a restriction of 150 cattle despite us having mentioned 5,000 in our PIL. We will move high court for contempt of court tomorrow.”
The circular calls for strict compliance of social distancing and other precautionary norms under the Covid-19 pandemic guidelines including compulsory masks to be worn and ensure use of hand sanitizer while present for the sacrifice.
The BMC said that since during lockdown under the guidelines it restricted permissions for regular slaughter to only 150 daily at the abattoir, the same figure would be continued till further orders.
The high court on Friday directed BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to issue a circular before the day ends on “regulatory steps and procedures’’ to be followed while making the sacrifice of water buffaloes at Deonar Abattoir in Mumbai for Bakra-Eid that begins on Saturday.
The Eid is scheduled to begin on August 1 and will be celebrated till August 3.
The bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Sarang Kotwal was hearing the PIL filed by Al-quraish Human Welfare Association and others who sought its intervention after pointing to a July 25 order where the court in one matter had restricted all slaughter to take place at the abattoir alone. The PIL petitioners Mohammad Asif Qureshi and Haji Kudratullah Quereshi through their lawyer A A Siddiqui said since the abattoir is closed, sans a special order, sacrificing water buffaloes there will not be possible.
Usually during Bakra-Eid about 15000 sacrifices would take place at the abattoir, said a Publlic interest litigation but during the pandemic given financial difficulties the number of sacrifices would be less than 40 percent.
The PIL said for commercial trading of buffalo meat the Deonar Abattoir was permitting 150 to be slaughtered each day during the lockdown and on general days more than 6000 water buffaloes would be slaughtered each week at the abattoir.
The bench asked special civic counsel Anil Sakhare what the situation was asked for information on the number of sacrifices that can be permitted at the abattoir. The bench said BMC should later the same day bring out a circular with all details and regulations as well as “procedures for maintaining social distancing to be adhered to by one and all at Deonar Abattoir, for offering sacrifices relatable to such festival.”
The petitioner also had stated that they are well aware about the pandemic of covid as well its infection and the BMC should issue guidelines in all circumstances social distancing to be maintained and the activity of sacrificing be restricted and immediately after scar
“The Municipal Corporation, the civil administration and the police administration shall ensure that there is no remissness in abiding by the terms of the circular…’’ said the HC.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/after-bombay-hcs-direction-bmc-permits-sacrifice-of-150-buffaloes-for-eid-each-day-from-6-am-to-6-pm-at-deonar-abattoir/articleshow/77288143.cms