MP to ban consumption of meat & liquor in religious towns along Narmada

There are 21 districts, 68 tehsils and 1126 ghats on the banks of the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said that the consumption of meat and liquor should not be allowed in religious towns on the banks of the Narmada River and in and around religious places.

The 1312-km long Narmada, which starts from Amarkantak and meets the Gulf of Khambhat, has a length of 1079 km in Madhya Pradesh. There are 21 districts, 68 tehsils and 1126 ghats on the banks of the Narmada. The decision will affect all the areas which are designated as religious places. 

Addressing a meeting of the cabinet committee formed to prepare an action plan to ensure the clean and continuous flow of the river Narmada throughout the year, Yadav said on Friday that sewage should not be released in the Narmada River from its origin in Amarkantak to wherever it flows in the state.

Congress meanwhile has raised objections.

Senior leader and the president of the media wing of state Congress Mukesh Nayak told Business Standard, “The government should issue any order within the ambit of policy and rules. If any such decision is taken which impedes the constitutional freedom of the people, then it will cause suffocation among the people, the result of which will not be good for the ruling party."

Another senior Congress leader refused to comment on the issue and said, “We do not want to play on the BJP’s pitch. If we say anything on this issue, the BJP will make it a political issue by linking it to the respect of Narmada.”

In the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on the overall development of Narmada, the CM said that a satellite city should be developed away from the origin of the Narmada in Amarkantak. The CM also instructed officials to ban mining activities with machines in Narmada.