Meat traders at Delhi's INA Market said they have opened their shops
Meat shops at Delhi's INA Market - one of the biggest locations for groceries in the national capital - remained open today amid the controversy over sales during Navratri.
South Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Mukesh Suryan had asked the municipal commissioner to ensure meat shops are shut during Navratri, which is till Monday.
On the ground, however, no ban has been implemented.
Traders at INA Market told NDTV that shops reopened today as they have got no government order to remain shut. The shops had pulled down shutters yesterday.
"We have been working here for 40 years, but have never been compelled to shut shop suddenly the way we were told to do so yesterday," said Krishna Kumar, a trader. "Our stock will rot away. There are some 40 shops here with about a thousand workers. Where will all the labourers go? We opened shops today because there is no official order yet," he said.
INA Market association chief Ramesh Bhutani also said they haven't got any official order to shut down during Navratri. "Whenever lockdowns happened, we got orders from district magistrate or sub-divisional magistrate. Since there are no such orders this time, we have not kept the shops closed any longer," Mr Bhutani said.
The controversy, triggered by South Delhi Mayor Mukesh Suryan after he announced that meat shops under his civic body should be shut during the "auspicious period of Navratri devoted to Goddess Durga", has snowballed into a massive controversy with many calling it unfair, and even communal.
Calling the verbal order by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Mayor illegal, Trinamool Congress member Saket Gokhale said the commissioner should also compensate those that would have lost their livelihood due to the shutting of shops.
"The tacit support provided by your office to the mayor's illegal whims and your failure to implement the law and to prevent the illegal closure of meat shops is a violation of fundamental constitutional rights of people," Mr Gokhale tweeted.
There are around 1,500 registered meat shops in the jurisdiction of the SDMC, according to news agency PTI.