Pointing out that animals, especially bulls, were not slaughtered in the slaughter houses but near water bodies, T Bashiruddin, president of Pernambut Consumer Welfare Protection Committee, said, “The animals’ blood is then drained into the water bodies. This has resulted in a lot of problems for the locals.”

 

He supported this claim with a photo showing blood, reportedly of the slaughtered animals, flowing into a drain.

It does not seem like anybody is bothered about this issue, despite that the evidence is scattered all over and visible to everyone, said Town Congress Committee president G Suresh Kumar, echoing a similar discontent.

Stating that the open sale of meat was an unhygienic practice, Bashiruddin said, “Despite repeated pleas to the concerned authorities, actions were taken only for the sake of records, yielding no proper solution to the issue. Those responsible for it were also not held accountable.”

With a sizeable Muslim population and beef being a staple in Pernambut, slaughtering of bulls takes place in the same slaughter house that was meant for goats, and a fee was collected by the slaughter house contractor.

 

However, an official source contradicted Bashiruddin’s claim that slaughter waste was disposed in nearby water bodies. “The slaughter house is only meant for goats. Every day, around 20 goats are slaughtered here by the contractor, who then disposes the animal waste in the local body’s garbage trucks,” said the official source.

 

The source added that around 25 bulls are slaughtered there every day and the animal waste is picked up by the garbage trucks belonging to the local body.

Also, it remained a question why the local body made no effort to ensure a bigger slaughter house where both goats and bulls could be slaughtered.

 

When enquired, Vellore Food Safety officer Dr G Venketesh said, “It was the duty of the local body to ensure a clean environment with the help of its staff.”

 

Contrary to the claims made by the residents, Pernambut Health officials denied that the locals were facing any problem and claimed that slaughter waste was being collected and disposed properly.

 

With no official recognition of the problems faced by the locals and hence no action being taken in this regard, the town’s residents continue to face difficulties due to the alleged dumping of slaughter waste into water bodies.