SDMC okays proposal to mandatorily display whether meat is 'halal' or 'jhatka'

New Delhi: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation passed a proposal to make it mandatory for restaurants and meat-shops under its jurisdiction to display whether the meat being sold or served is cut using the "halal" or "jhatka" method, in a meeting of the Standing Committee held on Thursday.

The subject will now appear for final approval before the SDMC House, where the BJP has a clear majority (as it does in the corporation itself).

Standing Committee Chairman Rajdutt Gehlot said that the move was intended to let the customer know what kind of meat they were consuming or being served.

However, the draft of the proposal itself said, "According to Hinduism and Sikhism, eating halal meat is forbidden and against religion. According to Sikhism, it is prohibited to eat halal meat".

As per the SDMC, "Thousands of restaurants are in operation in 104 wards of the 4 zones (under the civic body), of which, meat is being served in about 90 per cent of the restaurants. But they do not display whether the meat being served (by them) is Halal or Jhatka meat. Similarly, it is not clear whether meat being sold at meat-shops is Halal or Jhatka".

This resolution was placed before the Special (Medical Relief and Public Health) Committee on November 9 earlier this year by Anita Tanwar (BJP Councillor from Chhatarpur) and seconded by Kamlesh Shukla (also a BJP Councillor, from Jaitpur).

There, it was tabled that it be recommended to the Corporation through the Standing Committee. The

SDMC draft already states that the Health Committee resolves that direction be given to restaurants and meat-shops to

mandatorily display whether they are selling halal or jhatka meat.

'Jhatka' method is one in which an animal is slaughtered in one go, while in the 'halal' method, an animal is allowed to die after cutting a vein.

In 2017, the SDMC had proposed that meat and its products were not to be

displayed in the open, saying hygiene and "sentiments of people affected by the sight" of meat were the main reasons behind the move.

The move was not implemented after protests from shop-owners.