City steps up drive against sale of illegal meat

Chennai: The city corporation has intensified the crackdown on the sale of unauthorized and unwholesome meat from meat shops, seizing 1,082kg of such meat from April to June. Last year, the civic body seized 6,200kg of such meat.

But, the sale of such met continues in areas like Pudupet and Chintadripet where it is mostly sourced from other states, say officials.

Data from the civic body as well as from the food safety department shows that shops in the Royapuram zone remain notorious for selling unwholesome meat and that not cut in authorized slaughterhouses.

From April 2017 to March 2018, Royapuram and Teynampet accounted for the most quantity of such meat, with 1,955kg being seized from Royapuram alone.

“While all seized meat is not rotten, we find it has not been cut at authorized corporation slaughterhouses, where a veterinarian is present through the morning hours for ante-mortem of the animal being slaughtered. Only during such inspections, we know the meat is safe for human consumption,” said a corporation official.

Most of the unwholesome meat seized is from around Egmore and Central stations, besides Chintadripet and Sowcarpet, said sources.

“A visit found that most of such meat gets cut inside homes or is sourced from states like Andhra Pradesh. In several instances, meat was found ferried in buses, trains, and even private vehicles,” officials told TOI. “The problem with meat being sold from unauthorized slaughtering is we can’t find if the animal was already dead or what the animal is. The ice used for ferrying meat from other states keeps it good for a few hours, but it rots after an overnight journey. During raids, we also seized several packets of flavour enhancers used to mask smell of rotten meat,” said a food safety department official, saying the serious problem stemmed from the lack of enough slaughterhouses.

Greater Chennai Corporation currently has slaughterhouses in Kallikuppam, Villivakkam , Saidapet, and Permabur. The official added that while sellers of such meat are fined, it is essential to make sale of such meat a criminal offence. “We need corporation’s cooperation in charging these offenders under IPC,” he said.

Sanitary inspectors suggest that the revenue department order closure of units found repeatedly illegally selling such meat.

However practical reasons dominate the unauthorized slaughter of animals, say traders. “It happens early and is wrapped up before 9am. We need to sell meat through the day, and it is not possible for meat to remain wholesome if it is cut in the morning. For these reasons, we slaughter animals ourselves,” said a trader, requesting anonymity.

Corporation sources said they planned to set up a slaughterhouse in the Thiruvottriyur zone, and one in Perungudi or Sholinganallur.