Decade-old wait for modern slaughterhouse

KOCHI:  The Kochi Corporation had promised modern slaughterhouses at Kaloor and Mattancherry 10 years ago, but no major progress has been made in this direction yet. Sunitha Asharaf, a councillor from Mattancherry, said “the corporation has been sitting on the project,” while Opposition leader K J Antony said the delay showed the failure of the Kochi Corporation in ensuring public health.“We don’t have proper slaughterhouse in the city which is a big handicap. You never know if someone sells meat of animals which had some disease and it can result in a big tragedy,” said Antony.

New Health Standing Committee chairperson Kochi Corporation Prathibha Ansari said they have started preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for the renovation of the slaughterhouse at Kaloor and building a modern slaughterhouse at Mattancherry.“The Corporation had floated tenders for DPRs for modern slaughterhouses. The exact plan and budget for them will be finalised later. The projects will be implemented with the financial help from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB),” she said.

Antony said DPR was a gimmick. “Preparation of DPR is a gimmick to help illegal slaughterhouses. The corporation shows no interest in ensuring public health. It’s a serious issue, so the human rights commission should intervene,” he said.Meanwhile, health experts have warned against slaughtering animals with diseases like rabies and tuberculosis.

“There’s no system to check the health condition of the animals from within the state and beyond being slaughtered at illegal places. We request people not to slaughter animals carrying diseases. Those affected by rabies and tuberculosis should be disposed of scientifically,” veterinary doctors said.