Lucknow, Jan 17 (IANS): More than 35,000 people living along the 11 km stretch between Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport and Vrindavan Colony on Kanpur Road in Uttar Pradesh will be not be able to purchase meat and fish in the area from January 20 to February 9.

The district administration has ordered temporary closure of all meat shops in the area for the period, as part of the security arrangements for the 11th Defence Expo slated to take place from February 5-8.

Even roadside vendors selling eggs or meat items and food vans will be removed from the route for at least 20 days.

Arvind Rao, nodal officer for the expo at Lucknow Municipal Corporation said: "The area has been declared a low-fly zone and the protocol involves closure of all meat shops in a seven km radius of the airport to make it a meat-free zone."

Officials said that fighter planes participating in the show will take off and land at the CCS Airport. They will fly low until they reach an open ground in the Vrindavan Colony, where the air show will be performed.

"Meat shops often dispose leftovers in the open which attract carnivores including birds. Closing meat shops is essential to deter birds from the area to avoid accidents with planes," the official said.