RANCHI: It is perhaps the state's first wedding season without mutton , one of the major attractions of feasts marking matrimonial alliances. Since the government crackdown on slaughterhouses last month, the capital city, like the rest of the state, has run short of mutton.Worried wedding planners and organizers here have been trying their best to get mutton back on their menus. Some of them have been travelling right up to the Bengal-Jharkhand border to get their supply of meat. For this, they even readily spend a considerable amount of extra money. Again, for those with a tight budget, the only option left is to replace mutton with fish bought from Kolkata or chicken purchased from local licensed shops."We have taken mutton off our menu," said Rajiv Singh, owner of a catering service associated with a prominent wedding planner of the city. "Buying mutton has become very difficult and expensive because of the ban on abattoirs. Even if we buy meat from elsewhere, we are not sure of its quality and hygienic standards," he added.Big marriage organizers, who have tie-ups with large caterers, are, however, not ready to give up. "We need to plan things in advance. We have been able to offer mutton to our clients because our caterers do not let us down," said Tapas Sahay, who runs an event management firm here. He added, "Though it is a bit difficult and more expensive, we try not to go beyond our budget. Whatever extra money we spent on mutton, we adjust in other overhead expenditure.In many areas, wedding planners and hosts are seen making a beeline for poultry products. Taking advantage of this, traders have increased the prices of chicken by more than Rs 50 a kilo.Many residents hosting wedding receptions complain of a steep rise in the expenditure. "Mutton has always been a major attraction in any wedding reception here. To retain mutton in the menu, we have to spend a lot of money. Many of us find it beyond our reach," said Rajni Sen, a resident of Morabadi. "I have decided to replace mutton with chicken and fish for my daughter's wedding reception," he added.Some illegal abattoirs, which were shut earlier because of the government crackdown , did a brisk business on Friday. Their modus operandi was quite interesting. One man would sit outside a shut shop and deal with customers in a hushed tone. Those who wanted to buy mutton at smaller quantities were made to wait in their vehicles. After they paid the money in advance, another man would come with a black plastic bag packed with mutton. Such scenes were seen at localities like Dangratoli and Karamtoli."We sell about 100 kg of mutton every day. The government should sort out the problem of meat shops soon. Many of us have lost our livelihood," said a meat seller.On Friday, a delegation of the Jharkhand State Jamait-Ul Quraish met with urban development & housing and transport minister CP Singh and asked him to renew the licenses of meat shops. President of the organization, Mujib Qureshi, told Singh that more than five lakh people have turned jobless because of the crackdown on abattoirs.

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