Residents here heaved a sigh of relief when shops selling non-vegetarian items opened after 14 days on Tuesday.

All shops in Dhanbad, including those selling eggs, mutton, chicken, fodder except vegetables, groceries and medicine, were shut since the Janata Curfew on March 22 followed by the 21-day lockdown from March 24.

The animal husbandry department through a letter on Monday allowed only licensed meat and egg shops to open and asked authorities such as Dhanbad Municipal Corporation to ensure proper medical check-up of the animals before slaughter.

The department also stressed on proper disposal of the remains of slaughtered animals and cleaning of slaughterhouses using disinfectant according to the norms, practice of social distancing, more emphasis on home deliveries, and use of sanitisers by the sellers.

The department ordered the district administration to simultaneously allow fodder shops to open for the convenience of cattle owners.

“We are happy to get chicken after 12 days but because of very few shops selling it and high rates we were unable to procure the required amount,” said Hirapur resident Soubhik Banerjee.

Banerjee, who has 12 dogs in his house, said: “I was feeding rice and vegetables to my dogs for the last 12 days. The fish prices are too high in Dhanbad. Some fish are sold at over Rs 300 per kg. We won’t be able to procure fish at such high rates.

“Why shops selling non-vegetarian items remained shut for such a long time in Dhanbad is beyond my comprehension,” he added.

Amit Kumar, a fish-seller in Hirapur Hatia, said: “Around 12 shops selling fish here opened on Tuesday but because of arrival of very few consignments from Andhra Pradesh during the lockdown we are selling locally available fish such as rohu and katla. We are not getting fish at less than Rs 250 per kg from fishermen, so we are selling it at Rs 300. Customers are accusing us of running a black market, which is not right.”