As BJP-ruled states go after illegal meat businesses, Mamata Banerjee rolls out `Meat on Wheelz`

Kolkata: At a time when there is a crackdown against illegal slaughterhouses and meat sellers in Uttar Pradesh and other BJP ruled states, the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has started doorstep delivery of meat, including the non-conventional varieties, in Kolkata.

The 'Meat on Wheelz' initiative of West Bengal Livestock Development Corporation Limited (WBLDCL) will take the government run company's popular brand 'Haringhata meat' to customers across Kolkata and its suburbs.

On offer are cooked non-veg items – including those prepared using non-conventional meat like emu, quail and duck - and frozen items of Haringhata. The sales of non-conventional meat have doubled in the last few years in the state.

Depending on the success of the pilot project, the company has plans to roll out delivery vehicles in district headquarters across the state.

Established in 1974, WBLDCL deals with production, processing, and marketing of meat products. The company also sells non-meat food items like eggs, mustard oil, honey, and ghee.

Haringhata in Nadia district houses WBLDCL's two units. One for pork and the other for chicken, goat, and duck.

As per a recent survey, over 98% of West Bengal's population are non-vegetarians. Telangana is the only state in India that's ahead of West Bengal on the list.

Some of the other states with high non-vegetarian population are Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.