Eid-ul-Adha preparations must be matched by strict checks on meat, bakery products, milk, and perishables
As Eid-ul-Adha draws near, markets across the Valley are swelling with shoppers, livestock movement is rising, and people are preparing for one of the most sacred occasions in the Muslim calendar. Yet, alongside the spirit of sacrifice, charity, and togetherness, an old and familiar question returns: Is the food being sold in Kashmir safe enough for the people to consume? It is a deeply disturbing question, and the fact that it resurfaces before every major festival is itself an indictment of our regulatory culture. In the days leading up to Eid, demand for mutton, bakery products, milk, spices, vegetables, and ready-to-cook items rises sharply. This is precisely the window in which unscrupulous elements try to exploit public need. Expired bakery stock, poorly stored meat, unhygienic slaughter practices, contaminated milk products, and deceptive pricing become serious risks. What should be a season of faith and festivity is thus turned into a season of anxiety. No society can call itself responsible if families inspect their Eid purchases with suspicion instead of confidence. The concern is not hypothetical. Recently, across Kashmir, authorities have repeatedly launched special market inspections, checking mutton shops, bakery units, sweet outlets, milk vendors, and vegetable sellers. These drives have often resulted in seizures of expired items and the detection of unhygienic practices. More troubling still have been the larger scandals that have shaken public trust in recent years, particularly cases involving rotten and unsafe meat entering the market. Such incidents exposed not merely isolated wrongdoing, but deeper structural weaknesses in surveillance, storage, transport, and enforcement. That is why the administration must not treat food safety as a ceremonial pre-Eid exercise. This requires a relentless and visible crackdown in the coming days. Slaughter sites, butcher outlets, bakery units, refrigeration facilities, transport vehicles, and wholesale supply chains must all come under strict watch. Random sampling must be intensified. Violators must face exemplary penalties. Unsafe stock must be destroyed without delay. Most importantly, enforcement must be public, credible, and continuous enough to restore confidence. There is also a moral dimension that cannot be ignored. Eid-ul-Adha is not merely an occasion of consumption; it is a moment of sacrifice, piety, and social responsibility. To profit from this sacred time by selling adulterated or unsafe food is not just unlawful, it is an assault on public trust and social ethics. Kashmir deserves better than seasonal vigilance and routine warnings. If food safety awakens only when Eid approaches, then the system has already failed. The Valley needs year-round monitoring, stronger accountability, and zero tolerance for those who endanger public health. Let this Eid bring not only spiritual reflection, but also administrative seriousness. The people have a right to celebrate without fear of what is on their plates.