Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 1 Apr: The Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) has issued a directive requiring all hotels and restaurant owners in the capital region to rename their trade licences by removing references to specific animal meats such as pork, chicken, beef, or mutton.
It is learnt that the move aims to adopt more general and appropriate business nomenclature, citing concerns over animal welfare sensitivities and public decency.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Arunachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 2019 and applicable byelaws, states that naming establishments with specific meat references is “inappropriate and inconsistent with prevailing norms.”
The IMC directed that “all existing trade licences bearing nomenclature referring to particular animal meats must be suitably renamed to a general business name.”
“The IMC office will henceforth stop issuing new trade licences with names that mention specific animal meats, for example Pork Hotel, Chicken Corner, Beef Restaurant, and Mutton Shop,” it stated.
It has asked hotel and restaurant owners who have displayed such names on signboards or banners to also “update and correct them in line with the revised trade licence nomenclature within 10 days from the date of issuance (of the order).”
“Failure to adhere to these directions will invite appropriate action under the relevant provisions of the law and municipal byelaws,” it added.
Similar directives have been issued in the past by the Itanagar district administration, attempting to restrict display of specific meat names like ‘beef’ on signboards. It faced fierce backlash on social media,resulting withdrawal of the order.
