Corpn plans checks to ensure safe meat

Chennai: Meat eaters may breathe a bit easy if the city corporation keeps its promise. On Tuesday, the civic body assured the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it would regularly raid meat stalls across the city and clamp down on illegal slaughterhouses. 

In October, People for Cattle in India trustee G Arun Prasanna had petitioned the NGT pointing out unlawful slaughtering of animals in around 70 places in the city. The corporation submitted reports on November 29 and December 6, but the tribunal was not satisfied with them. When the matter came up for the third hearing on Wednesday, the corporation said in all the zones, a team comprising a health officer, a veterinary assistant surgeon, a sanitary officer and sanitary inspectors would conduct a weekly inspections at slaughterhouses and meat stalls. 

But the tribunal pulled up the civic body for discrepancies in its report. Tribunal chairman Justice Chockalingam said while the corporation had listed 850 illegal stalls at the last hearing, the number had now been reduced to 387. “How can 500 stalls disappear in 45 days?” said the chairman, adding the two reports would show the officials were “determined to either not take action or not file a report with actual facts.” The case has been adjourned to February 18 for further hearing. 

The corporation said there were 1,183 meat stalls in the city, of which 387 were either illegal or working in unhygienic conditions. Notices have been issued to them following which, 34 took license, 69 rectified the conditions, and 12 closed down. Steps have been taken to prosecute the rest. Also, the corporation removed 34 stalls which had opened shop under thatched roofs.During raids in 2012-2013, 10,324kg of rotting meat was seized and destroyed,saidthecivicbody. 

However the corporation said it could not inspect slaughter houses at St Thomas Mount, Perungalathur, Athipet, Pallavaram, Medavakkam, Tambaram, Semabakkam and Ayapkkam as they were not within its ‘limits.’ At Sholinganallur, it found illegal slaughtering of animals on Sundays near the roadside, and stopped the practice. A shop selling meat not cleared by the health department at Anna Nagar was closed, said the civic body.