Imphal, November 20 2009: The absence of authority to pre-certify the hygiene standard of red meats sold in the markets has caused various illnesses to consumers.

This has put the meat consumers' health in peril.

According to Food Inspector of Imphal Municipal Council (IMC), Lisam Rupendro, the meats to be sold in the market have to be certified whether they meet the standard for consumption or not.

All the animals should be processed in a slaughter house.

The state is deprived of having such slaughter house.

Consumers in the state have taken meat on their like without any slight consideration of its safety and hygienic standard.

Talking exclusively to this reporter, the State Liaison Officer of Swine Flu, Dr Bhubon Chandra observed that most of the meats in the state are sold and consumed in unhygienic manner.

Most of the meats are sold by the roadsides.

"We have come across the selling and packing of meats with dust and insects," Dr Bhubon said.

The unhygienic processing of the meat and the subsequent selling tends to be harmful for human consumption.

"Not only are the consumers, but the meat vendors are also at equal risk," he said.

The consumption of 'unhygienic' meats, consumed mostly to boost the health and for the taste itself could be detrimental for the health.

Lisam Rupendro, Food Inspector of IMC said, there was a plan to set up slaughter house in Imphal around two decades back.

The different tribal communities of the state - who have the customary law of killing meat at their respective houses - had opposed to the setting up of a slaughter house then.

Since then there is no slaughter house in the state.

He said the tribal communities had been opposing to the setting up of the slaughter house fearing that they would be barred from killing animals at their respective households.

He said, in the absence of a slaughter house, the process of issuing butcher house cum meat shop licenses.

But the same has not been fully materialised.

License to meat vendors is compulsory under the provision of the Sale of Meat By-law 1987 of the Manipur Municipal Act, 1976.There are only 22 valid license holders under this provision.

Rupendro said, only meats duly certified by the municipality authority should be sold in the market.

The practice has been done in other states.

However, the same could not be materialised in the state due to ineffectiveness of the IMC.

Moreover, the municipality authority is incapable of taking action against license-less meat vendors.

He said, the IMC is unable to initiate action due to the non-conferment of magisterial power to the IMC.

According to the survey report of the IMC, there are around 68 meat vending shops within the jurisdiction of the IMC.

Among them only 22 vendors - who have registered with the IMC - issued licenses by the authority.

Again among these 22 license holders, only 4/5 of them paid annual tax.

Rs 250 should be paid to the authority as annual tax.

L Rupendro said that the survey is still in progress.

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