All slaughtering activities at Idgah slaughterhouse stopped on Thursday with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) shutting down the buffalo section.

However, the Idgah butchers were not ready to call-off their strike.

According to them, the facilities provided at Ghazipur slaughterhouse had to be upgraded for them to consider moving there.

The civic body maintained that it was trying to improve the facilities around Ghazipur by constructing roads around the area and working out a plan to reclaim the landfill site too.

“Around 80 per cent of people related to the slaughtering business are unemployed presently. But they still don’t want to move to Ghazipur,” said Aqil Mohammed Quershi, president of Delhi Meat Merchants Association. “The unhygienic conditions due to the proximity of the abattoir to the sanitary landfill site makes it impossible to stand there. All these issues have to be tackled for us to consider shifting there.”

He added that no animals were being brought into Delhi for sale too.

“Due to the problem, traders from Haryana and Rajasthan are not bringing animals to Delhi for sale. Meat is being brought from Ghazibad and Noida for consumption in Delhi,” said Quershi.

“I have tried explaining to the butchers that the strike should be called off and they should consider moving to the Ghazipur slaughterhouse, but they are not willing to listen. They want to continue with the strike,” said Sirajuddin Quresh, president of All India Jamiatul Quresh Association.

According to the civic agency, the buffalo livestock market would continue from Idgah till next Wednesday.

“We are doing our best to solve this problem. We are also not planning to cancel the licences of these butchers yet,” said a senior MCD official.