Ban sought on slaughtering of all animals in open places

PANAJI: Animal lovers have approached the National green tribunal (NGT) seeking a total ban on slaughtering of all animals in an open place. 

They have sought to "ban the illegal slaughtering of all animals in the state of Goa except in notified slaughterhouses possessing the consent/permission to operate from the Goa state pollution control board and the disposal of the waste generated there is at designated dumping sites and in accordance with law". 

The animal lovers have pointed out that about 9,000 litres of blood is discharged into the Mandovi river and other rivers daily from the illegal slaughterhouses. As a result, the residents of Goa and adjoining states are compelled to use such polluted and contaminated water of the rivers Mandovi, Zuari, Talpona, the peition alleged. 

The petition stated that the Food and drugs administration (FDA) raided 77 illegal meat /mutton shops in the state of Goa and stopped illegal sale of meat/mutton. The FDA said that practically all meat business carried out by vendors is unlicenced. The petition states that the department has inspected 58 meat shops in South Goa and 19 shops in the north and inspection of the 77 stalls has revealed that all were without the food safety licence, which is mandatory under the law. 

Social activist Kashinath Shetye, one among 13 animal lovers in the petition, said that owing to such horrifying and anarchical conditions at illegal slaughterhouses, the risk of communicable diseases is extremely high. A large meat-eating population is also being put to a great risk of life and health as the people are not aware of the appalling conditions under which animals are slaughtered, transported and sold. They do not know that the meat offered to them for consumption comes from a healthy or a sick and diseased animal. 

"The tribunal should be pleased to direct the state of Goa and GSPCB to take strict action against violators for the pollution caused due to illegal slaughtering in the state of Goa and submit a compliance report of the same to this tribunal," the petition said. 

Animal lovers, in their petition, also sought a direction to GSPCB to conduct a study about the damage caused to the environment owing to the illegal slaughtering of animals and forthwith initiate remedial measures to remedy the damage caused by the pollution in the state of Goa.