Sale of meat banned in Ghaziabad during Navratri, shopkeepers stare at losses

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The sale of raw meat has been banned in Ghaziabad during the Navratri, Mayor Asha Sharma said on Saturday. The Chaitra Navratri began on Saturday and will continue till April 10.

Speaking to ANI today, Sharma said, "Meat and liquor are different, they can't be equated with each other. It is related to religious sentiments. It happens every time that during Navratri, raw meat cannot be sold in the vicinity of the temple."

Local shopkeepers expressed their apprehensions over banning the sale of meat and asked why liquor shops are allowed to open.

Speaking to ANI, a local shopkeeper said, "This is for the first time that meat shops are shut during Navratri in Ghaziabad. Liquor shops are opened and meat shops are asked to shut down. Our source of income has stopped. We will incur losses of thousands of rupees. We have meat products worth lakhs kept in our shops."

Chaitra Navratri festivities commenced on Saturday. The nine-day festivities begin on April 2 and will go on till April 11. Each day is dedicated to a different form of Goddess Durga, worshipping the power and qualities that each avatar represents.