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Kathmandu Monday March 05, 2001 Falgun 22, 2057.
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Ban on meat & fish
causes financial loss
Post Report
BIRATNAGAR, Morang, March 4 - The ban on the
import and sale of fish and meat products in the towns of this eastern district has
resulted in an estimated daily loss of Rs 800,000 to Rs 1 million, according to
businesses.
In keeping with the possible contagion of a
mysterious disease, which broke out in the abutting Indian city of Siliguri two weeks ago,
Biratnagar Sub-Metropolitan City completely prohibited the import and sale of meat and
fish products from Friday.
Following suit, Kakarbhitta, Birtamod,
Dhlulabari Dharan and Itahari, most of the village development committees (VDCs) on the
skirts of the East-West Highway have begun imposing a ban on fish and meat products.
The consumption of around 6 tons of meat and
fish products has came to a halt in Biratnagar and the sale of similar amount of liquor
has also gone down since Friday in the area.
Rajan Shrestha, Vice-President of Hotel
Association Biratnagar says whether the unknown disease is communicated through meat and
fish had to be ascertained before imposing a complete ban on their import and sale.
"Meat and fish items make more than 70
per cent of transactions in hotels. It may be right to ban the import of fish and meat
from the adjoining city, but it is a folly to prohibit the sale of local meat",
Shrestha says.
Apart from the butchers, importers, hoteliers
and restaurant owners, the interdiction has also badly affected the sale of liquor, which
is taken as complementary to meat and fish items.
According Manohar Dewan, operator of Hotel
Karun at ward no. 19 of the sub-metropolis, says following the ban, the sale of alcoholic
drinks has gone down by 90 percent.
"It is not a good decision to ban the
import and sale of fish and meat products, but it might have been imposed on humanitarian
grounds. That’s why we have accepted it," says Manohar Kumar Pradhan, Chairman
of Morang Liquor Entrepreneurs Association.
Since the ban is indefinite, it may invite a
situation for most of liquor sellers to switch to other jobs for their sustenance, he
further says.
However, a restaurateur at the Traffic Chowk
in Biratnagar, preferring anonymity, says, "Meat is being imported clandestinely, but
the consumers do not eat for fear of possible contagion of the mysterious disease".
District Police Office, the sub-metropolis
and the community organizations are monitoring the market for better effectiveness of the
ban imposed on the import and sale of fish and meat.
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