Asking the meat traders to withdraw their stir over shifting to a new slaughter house, Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain today said that the MCD will soon remove the landfill site near the facility and carry out a green drive in the area to make it more environment-friendly.
The Ghazipur abattoir has far better facilities than the old slaughter house at Idgah and it will ensure that Delhiites get "fresh and hygienic" meat, he told reporters here.
The Mayor also felt that one of the reasons of opposition to the new abattoir was that it will completely do away with "illegal slaughtering". Ghazipur centre also has facilities to prevent any possibility of contamination of meat, he said.
With fissures emerging among the agitating traders who were on a strike for the last 10 days, the MCD sought to drive home the point that it wants the issue to be resolved soon and it was only carrying out the Supreme Court's order.
"The traders have raised the issue of a landfill site lying near the Ghazipur abattoir, which may pose health hazards to them. We have got in-principle approval from the Planning Commission to reclaim the site and work may begin in one or two months," Sain said.
The waste lying at the site will be packaged, compressed and removed, he said adding, the civic agency will also carry out a plantation drive in the area.
Chicken prices shot up and meat supply went down as butchers closed their shops, refusing to move to Ghazipur. Following a court order, MCD has closed the 200-year-old Idgah abattoir and shifted all operations to the new facility.
However, since yesterday, divisions have emerged among the traders as a section of them appeared to be willing to shift. The majority were still sticking to their stand.
Dismissing traders' argument that the Ghazipur centre lacks proper facilities, the mayor said its total area is five times than that of the Idgah abattoir, has bigger space for livestock markets, sheds for animals, proper hygiene and sanitary conditions and chillers for carcasses.
"Residents in Idgah area had only approached the court, citing the unhygienic conditions in their area. There were stench and garbage, blood in sewers and drains. In Ghazipur, there is proper arrangement for blood collection, besides effluent treatment plant for treating liquid slaughter house waste."
Raising the issue of preventing cruelty to animals, Sain said the animals are slaughtered in Ghazipur after "stunning" them, thus causing very less or no pain. Regarding the capacity, he said in Ghazipur, 10,000 animals can be slaughtered in two shifts, which is in keeping with the demand of Delhi. However, the butchers say that the demand for the city is 20,000 to 25,000.
The mayor admitted that the slaughtering charges are more at Idgah but said it is not much if the facilities being provided are taken into account.
"Though the butchers say the charges are Rs5 per goat or sheep at Idgah, actually they have to shell out Rs20-25, including local charges. Here they will have to give Rs 45 per goat and Rs300 per buffalo," MCD veterinary department head RBS Tyagi said.
