Piling Refuse, Broken Roof And Non-Existent Floor, Pulianthope Slaughterhouse Is Bursting At The Seams
Most of the meat that comes to your table may be cut and processed at illequipped abattoirs where workers are forced to stand in a slush of blood and dung as they go about their work.
Though the mutton and beef that come out of slaughter houses are certified by a vet, the conditions in which the animals are slaughtered, skinned and cut go unmonitored. Chicken is handled in the most unhygienic conditions at stalls and markets. They are transported to the city in filthy, stinking cages mostly from Salem and Namakkal.
The abattoir at Pulianthope, the city’s oldest and largest, that gets around 500 goats and 300 cattle on weekends is in a mess and years of neglect has made it a health hazard for nearby residents.
On Monday, TOI saw piles of bones, hooves and refuse all over. In the absence of a proper platform, workers spread animal skin on the ground so that the meat doesn’t get soiled when chopped. Dogs have made the sheds their home and were found lying on the floor where meat is handled.
A meat vendor who has a stall inside the abattoir and lives in the neighbourhood said: “The refuse is not removed. We get scorpions and snakes in our homes. The stench makes it tough to live here.”
Traders who bring their cattle and goats to slaughter are helpless and worried as their pleas to the Greater Chennai Corporation and politicians for a new building at the same location are not being heeded. Tiles have fallen down from most parts of the roof, which can collapse anytime.
“The abattoir does not have basic facilities. As there is no proper platform to cut the meat, they are forced to spread the skin on the ground and chop the meat,” said Perambur MLA Thayagam Kavi. He said a toilet is ready but could not be used because there was no water and sewerage connection.
As the abattoir is in bad shape, retail sellers are uncomfortable selling meat that comes from Pulianthope. In many markets -- including at Zam Bazaar in Triplicane -- they slaughter goats adjacent to stalls because buyers want the meat to be clean.
S Salauddin, president, Chennai Mutton Merchant (retailers) Association, said, “The abattoir in Pulianthope is in bad shape. It is not able to handle the number of animals. The meat that comes from there is cut in an unhygienic manner. It turns red fast. But we have no option but to sell it when demand is high on weekends.”
“We have asked the government to open abattoirs in Adyar, Porur, Tiruvotiyur, Mogappair so neighbourhoods there and get quality meat,” he said.
Salauddin said the abattoir at Pulianthope should not have stalls. “These stalls were opened as piece market for the poor who used to sell the balance meat from slaughtering for a living. But now it has become a business,” he said.
B Sampath, secretary, Chennai Mttiraichi Vyaparigal Sangam (beef traders association) said: “We are helpless. We have made representations to authorities to improve the condition. But they are not doing it.”
The corporation has plans to improve the facility and build new sheds. “Three to four years ago we had repaired the floor but because the cattle are heavy, it got damaged. The renovation plan is likely to cost Rs 1 crore. We met representatives of the traders’ associations but will have a meeting soon about the development work,” an official said.
IN DISREPAIR: The Pulianthope abattoir has nothing common with a state-of-the-art slaughterhouse. Animals don’t have a pen, meat is sold in the open and animal refuse is not removed for days raising a stench. (Right) Food safety officials raiding a fish market to crack down on use of formalin
Formalin in fish? Babus raid market
When two fish samples picked from the market turned blue during a spot test – food safety inspectors suspected that they might be lined with formalin, a cancer-causing substance commonly used in labs as an antiseptic or disinfectant, or to preserve bodies in mortuaries.
Coating fish with the chemical can increase shelf life of the meat that is highly perishable, said Chennai city district food safety official A Ramakrishnan. A team of food inspectors visited markets in Chinthadripet and surrounding areas such as Swami Pandaram Street and Palani Andavar Koil Street. Earlier, another team visited 25 shops in Kasimedu area and lifted five samples that looked ‘suspicious’. “We did not find much in the spot test, so we sent all seven samples to the lab for further tests,” he said.
The raid followed similar action in Madurai last week when food safety officials dumped nearly two tonnes of fish coated with formalin. “It was a cause of concern. We do not want people to eat fish coated with chemicals,” said another senior food safety official.
Fish coated with formalin is usually stiff, has a pungent smell and don’t have flies hovering above it. Although most of the formalin is washed off while cleaning the fish, it may still cause problems.
Studies show that although formalin can cause nausea, upset stomach, respiratory disorders or trigger allergic reactions initially, long-term consumption can increase risks of cancer.
