Varanasi: The authorities in Varanasi recently sealed the decades-old Benia Bagh Bakra Market ahead of Eid-ul-Azha following complaints of overcrowding and poor sanitation, triggering resentment among the goat traders.
Municipal Commissioner Himanshu Nagpal said the permission granted to the goat market, which generally opens around a week before Bakrid, has been cancelled following an inspection after complaints of overcrowding and poor sanitation conditions were received by the Nagar Nigam.
Municipal officials said that last Friday, the goat traders were directed to vacate the premises within three days. However, since the traders did not comply with the order, the market was vacated and sealed on Monday with police assistance.
The action by the civic body has drawn sharp criticism from the goat traders, who said the market has been known across Uttar Pradesh for nearly four decades.
According to the traders, it opens around a week before Eid-ul-Azha and attracts sellers from several Purvanchal districts, including Ghazipur, Mau, Jaunpur and Gorakhpur.
The traders said shutting the market just ahead of the festival was unfair, and asked where they should go to sell their goats at such a short notice.
