Overview
- The Punjab government’s notification covering the Walled City bans sales of meat, fish, liquor and tobacco, with surveys variously counting roughly 110 to about 150 affected outlets and vendors.
- Municipal officials say shifting of temporary kiosks and carts has started in areas such as the Old Telephone Exchange, Katra Jaimal Singh and multiple city gates.
- Affected traders met at Gol Bagh and plan to submit a memorandum to the deputy commissioner, municipal commissioner and mayor seeking relocation, compensation and narrower restricted zones near major shrines.
- AAP leaders have pledged phased rehabilitation and consultations, while BJP figures have urged a formal policy guaranteeing alternative sites and financial support during transition.
- Fish market operators warn that moving the decades-old wholesale hub before the January–April season would disrupt livelihoods, as SGPC member Kiranjot Kaur contests any blanket meat ban by citing Sikh jhatka traditions.