Now Jharkhand bans illegal abattoirs

HIGHLIGHTS

• Slaughterhouses given 72 hours to shut their illegal businesses if they failed to obtain licence from relevant authorities
• No abattoir in the state had licence from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

Slaughter of cow and buffalobanned in Jharkhand

RANCHI: Days after the Aditya Nath Yogi government's crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses in Uttar Pradesh, another BJP-ruled state, Jharkhand, decided to ban all illegal slaughterhouses in the state on Monday. The slaughterhouses were given 72 hours to shut their illegal businesses if they failed to obtain licence from relevant authorities.

SKG Rahate, principal secretary, home, issued an order to all deputy commissioners and SPs along with authorities of municipal corporations, municipalities and notified area committees to ensure that the closure was effected immediately. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, that has issued licences to 62 abattoirs across the country, has not issued the same to even one unit in the state.

None of the country's 75 approved abattoirs-cum-meat processing plants or 34 approved meat processing units have permission from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority to operate. The Ranchi Municipal Corporation has, however, issued licenses to some slaughterhouses.

"Keeping in view safety and health of the general public, steps may immediately be taken for closure of illegal slaughterhouses. The principal secretary said that proper rules and regulations are already in place, issued by the department of animal husbandry, municipal bodies and health department," the order stated.

With the issuance of the order, people engaged in the sale of goat meat or chicken will have to obtain licences from municipal bodies while those involved in slaughter of cows and buffaloes would have to close their "illegal" business. In 2004-05, the Jharkhand government had banned slaughter of cow and buffalo, violation of which invited imprisonment up to 10 years and a fine of Rs 10,000.

Ranchi Municipal Corporation deputy mayor Sanjeev Vijayvargiya said most abattoirs didn't have a valid licence, and killing, selling or possessing cow meat was done in violation of the law.