Zirakpur to have slaughterhouse

Rajiv Bhatia

Zirakpur, June 17
The Zirakpur Municipal Council is planning to set up a slaughterhouse at Gazipur village to maintain hygiene in shops selling meat.The issue of setting up a slaughterhouse is likely to be discussed in MC meeting, scheduled to be held on Friday. The proposal has been mooted after the Zirakpur MC realised that meat was being sold without verification from veterinarians. Moreover, the animals were being slaughtered in shops leading to mess and the possibility of spread of an infection.

MC sources said they had been receiving complaints from area residents regarding animals being slaughtered in almost all meat shops. They rued that the animals were not being slaughtered scientifically leading to unhygienic conditions.

Sources said the MC had identified a two-acre land at Gazipur village. A detailed report has been prepared and sent for approval. The total cost of the slaughterhouse would be finalised after the approval. It is expected to be ready by the year-end, sources added.

Sources said as the council does not have the technical expertise, a consultant will be appointed to work out the specifications and the tender document.

Ankit Sharma, a resident of Zirakpur said, “It is a serious matter as the waste meat products are not properly disposed of. The sellers slaughter the animals in their shops and dispose of the remnants into the surrounding drains.”

When contacted, MC president Narinder Kumar Sharma said: “The issue of setting up a slaughterhouse will be discussed in coming MC meeting and the site would be finalised after the councillors’ approval,” he added.

Dumping ground

After an objection by the pollution control board on the dumping ground site, the MC has planned to identify a suitable site on the outskirts of the town. An MC official said that in terms and condition, the dumping ground should be set up at a distance of 2 km from the town

Sewerage treatment plant

The Punjab Pollution Control Board has asked the MC to set up a sewerage treatment plant till March 2011. MC officials said the case regarding the land for the plant was in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The pollution control board had asked to finalise another land to set up the plant till March 2011. The board has said that if the MC fails to meet the deadline it would have to pay Rs 2 lakh bank guarantee for an extension