NAGPUR: When animal lover Kanakray Savadiya enquired about the
quantity of meat being supplied by trucks from the Bhandewadi
slaughter house by the contractors appointed by the NMC under RTI on
March 5, 2010, he was shocked to learn that it had no information on
this matter.
If sources are to be believed, a large quantity of meat continues to
be illegally sent from the slaughter house to all parts of the country
and even abroad. The pathetic conditions in the three main slaughter
houses – Bhandewadi, Mominpura and Gaddigodam will send a chill down
your spine. This is in spite of the directions from the Bombay high
court and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) While NMC
plans to construct a modern abattoir in Bhandewadi, the civic body
continues to turn a blind eye to the slaughter houses operating in the
city without the requisite permissions and pollution control devices.
The slaughter house, to be built at Bhandewadi on built-operate and
transfer (BoT) basis at a cost of.`30.59 crore, has been designed by
National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India (NCCIFL).
The MPCB, in a letter dated November 9, 2009, has clearly mentioned
that the Municipal Commissioner ought to obtain consent of the board
for operating slaughter houses and ensure that the rejected animal
parts after slaughter are disposed in a proper manner to prevent any
nuisance and pollution in surrounding areas.
The letter points out that the NMC is allowing slaughter houses to
operate without consent from board and the waste is not properly
collected as per provisions of the Act.
The Bombay high court had passed an order dated 17/9/2009 directing
the MPCB to file criminal proceedings against defaulting municipal
corporations. The MPCB has directed NMC to take effective steps for
environment protection but NMC has failed to follow the directives.
The existing slaughter houses have no facility for effluent treatment
and disposal of solid waste. VM Motghare, the former regional officer
of the MPCB, had directed the NMC to voluntarily suspend the slaughter
house activities till proper disposal facilities are provided, after
taking due permissions from the board.
"All illegal slaughter activities in NMC area shall be stopped
immediately," the letter states.
Nearly 300 big animals are slaughtered here everyday, as per sources.
The figure is far exceeding the city's consumption. In a similar
letter dated March 4, 2009, the MPCB had also pointed out that the
slaughter activities are being conducted in an unscientific manner,
directly discharging effluents in the NMC area.
NMC health officer Milind Ganvir had filed an affidavit before the
court stating that the meat from Bhandewadi slaughter house is only
for consumption of the city and not for export purpose. "Do we need to
kill 300 big animals for the marginal meat-eating population?"
questioned Savadiya.
NMC had decided to deploy a special vehicle with cold storage facility
to carry meat to stalls in the city but that plan still remains on
paper. A committee under the chairmanship of Municipal Commissioner
was constituted in 2006 to examine the issue as per directives of the
court.
When questioned about the existing illegal slaughter houses, Ganvir
replied, "We are starting a modern abattoir. Once that starts, all the
old ones will stop. Meanwhile, we have also applied to MPCB for
permission to operate the three slaughter houses." When asked where
was the need to get fresh permissions when NMC is developing modern
abattoir, he said, "This will be temporary permission only." Repeated
efforts to reach MPCB officials failed.
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