Meat, beef shops to remain closed in Hyderabad on March 31

Hyderabad: All slaughterhouses for cattle, sheep, and goats, and meat shops, including beef shops, will remain closed within city limits on March 31 on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanthi, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) announced.

In a circular on Tuesday, March 23, GHMC Commissioner RV Karnan instructed officers to implement the order in their respective jurisdictions.

Mahavir Jayanthi is one of the most important religious festivals in Jainism. It celebrates the birth of Mahavira.

GHMC has in the past closed meat shops and slaughterhouses on Independence Day, Republic Day and Gandhi Jayanthi. The restrictions have received criticism from political leaders, especially from Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, calling the ban “unconstitutional.”