SRINAGAR: Amid growing concerns over the sale of rotten and uninspected meat, people of Srinagar have urged the municipal authorities to reopen official slaughterhouses of the city.
Srinagarites revealed that the move is essential to guarantee access to clean, safe and nutritious meat, as street vendors continue to sell questionable products with little oversight.
For over a month, authorities, including the health department and police, have ramped up raids across the city, seizing large quantities of rotten and unfit-for-consumption meat. Fearing strict action, several individuals involved in the illicit meat trade have been seen discarding spoiled meat themselves. Despite these efforts, citizens complain that the municipal authorities have yet to guarantee the supply of clean and safe meat to the public.
“During the ongoing drives, our teams have confiscated considerable amounts of inedible meat and taken strict action against those flouting food safety norms,” an official from the municipal health department said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly. “However, the challenge remains that without a robust system in place, ensuring consistent quality is difficult.”
Historically, every district and sub-district headquarters in the valley operated municipal slaughterhouses, where local butchers brought livestock for official inspection and slaughter. A veterinary inspector from the municipality would examine each animal, approving only those fit for human consumption. Once slaughtered, the meat was stamped with municipal clearance, while weak or diseased animals were rejected and returned. This system, residents recall, was reliable and ensured only safe meat reached markets.
However, deteriorating law and order led to the closure of these slaughterhouses. For a time, municipal officials continued inspections at butchers’ homes, but that practice also faded away. At present, a lack of oversight means vendors openly sell various types of meat from carts on city streets often with questionable quality and no official inspection.
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