UP CM Yogi Adityanath to meet slaughterhouses` representatives at 6 pm today

In its state election manifesto, the Bharatiya Janata Party had vowed to shut down all illegal slaughterhouses and place curbs on all mechanical abattoirs in Uttar Pradesh.

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday met the representatives of slaughterhouses at his residence.

Thousands of meat sellers in Uttar Pradesh shut shops for an indefinite period from Monday against the UP CM's decision to close down illegal slaughterhouses, causing concerns over Rs 15,000-crore industry that employs 25 lakh people in the state.

The issue also came up for a discussion in Parliament with the central government claiming that only illegal slaughterhouses were closed down in Uttar Pradesh.

Meat sellers in the sprawling Uttar Pradesh, however, allege that police were raiding the shops and forcing the closure of their establishments despite having valid licences.

They said the ban on slaughterhouses has caused a shortage in meat supply across the state, as thousands of meat sellers have been forced to shut their shops for an indefinite period in an air of uncertainty over the state government policy.

Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh has said that those who have licences need not worry.

In its state election manifesto, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had vowed to shut down all illegal slaughterhouses and place curbs on all mechanical abattoirs in the state.

There are no records of illegal slaughterhouses available officially. However, according to industry insiders, there could be an estimated 140 abattoirs and over 50,000 meat shops that don't have permission to operate.

The ban has caused serious concerns about the meat industry in Uttar Pradesh, which according to APEDA, an export regulator for agricultural and processed food products, is the highest producer of meat with 19.1 percent share of the national figure, followed by Andhra Pradesh at 15.2 percent and West Bengal at 10.9 percent.