Image for illustration purposes only. | Photo credit: File
Hotels and restaurants in Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh, have been asked to rebrand their establishments by dropping any reference to specific animal meat, including pork, beef, chicken and mutton.
The Itanagar Municipal Corporation order on Tuesday (March 31, 2026) also states that no new trade certificates will be issued to restaurants with names that refer to any kind of meat.
The order, signed by IMC Joint Commissioner Datum Gadim, states that several facilities obtain trade licenses using “trade nomenclature specifically referring to specific animal meats”.
It states that such naming practices were considered inappropriate and contrary to prevailing norms of animal welfare sensitivity and public decency.
The IMC referred to the provisions of the Arunachal Pradesh Municipal Corporations Act, 2019, which mandate that existing “trade licenses issued to hotels and restaurants with nomenclature referring to specific species of animals be suitably renamed to general and appropriate trade nomenclature”.
All owners of these hotels and restaurants have been asked to update their signboards and promotional materials in accordance with the revised nomenclature guidelines within 10 days from March 31, 2026, or legal action may be taken under relevant laws and municipal laws.
“This office will henceforth refrain from issuing trade licenses with nomenclature referring to specific animal names,” the order said, tagging key administrative officials for necessary action and monitoring.
Published – 1 Apr 2026 15:03 IST
