Govt yet to allot land for slaughter houses
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 30 2022: Even though the state cabinet approved setting up of one slaughter house each in five districts on June 21 this year, the government has not been able to allot the land required for setting up the facility.

On the other hand, government authority is giving free hand to the fish and meat shops without any mechanism to check the safety of the fish and meat products sold in such shops, which could be seen in plenty in every locality across the state.

Sources said that the state cabinet approved construction of slaughter houses for Ukhrul, Senapati, Churachandpur, Imphal East and Imphal West district with a project cost of Rs 9.90 crore each.

These slaughter houses are required to follow the food safety guidelines issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and will be monitored by the state food safety authority.

In the absence of such slaughter houses, meat products are sold in different parts of the state without any compliance with food safety guidelines.

MAHUD department had formed a committee to look after the unregistered slaughter houses on October 19,2012 with MAHUD secretary or commissioner as the chairman.

The committee was entrusted to identify and make a list of meat shops, collect reports on the guidelines followed by the meat shops from the DCs or food safety inspectors concerned, regular monitoring of the meat shops and making final approval from local self-government mandatory for issuing license as well as penalising un-licensed meat shops.

Even though it has been nearly 10 years since it was formed, the committee is remaining defunct till date.

On the contrary to the food safety guidelines, almost all of the meat shops in the state are running without any registration or following food safety guidelines.

These shops do not have adequate infrastructure to ensure safety of the manpower engaged in the trade.

No initiative is taken up either from food safety authority or the veterinary and animal husbandry department to check safety of the meat being sold, sources said.

Meanwhile, designated officer (food safety administration) Imphal East has issued a notification on August 23 informing that the food safety officials of the district will begin drive against meat shops in the district.

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