Supreme Court panel flags violations at Ghazipur abattoir in Delhi

The panel recommended that the Delhi Pollution Control Committee should inspect and test the ground water and air pollution that was caused by the Ghazipur abattoir

The Supreme Court appointed Delhi Slaughter house monitoring committee has flagged multiple violations of safety and sanitation rules at the city’s only official abattoir in East Delhi’s Ghazipur, according to an official report.

Located adjacent to the Ghazipur Murga Mandi and Fish market, the Ghazipur abattoir is run by the East Delhi Municipal Corporation. (Raj K Raj/HT Archive)

The panel has also recommended that the Delhi Pollution Control Committee should inspect and test the ground water and air pollution that was caused by the slaughterhouse, and said that the viability of the operations of food business of a “highly perishable and highly susceptible to contamination product” adjacent to a trenching ground should be re-assessed. The committee has submitted its report to the principal secretary of the urban development department, a copy of which HT has seen.

Located adjacent to the Ghazipur Murga Mandi and Fish market, the Ghazipur slaughter house was built by the erstwhile unified MCD, and is currently run by the East Delhi Municipal Corporation. It consists of three sections with one for large animals and two for small animals such as goat and sheep. It operates in three shifts with two shifts reserved for the domestic consumption.

The committee has stated that the mandatory two-hour gap between the shifts is not being maintained which is a violation of food safety and standards act. The report states that the record of animals brought for slaughter “appeared bogus” as it contained merely the first names of the individuals. “The details such as their contact number, shop licence details where carcasses are to be taken for sale, and FSSAI licence number were found missing,” the report adds.

A committee member said that the sub-committee spoke to persons present in lairage area but they could not establish the identity of people as shopkeeper from any meat shop in Delhi. Lairage is a place where animals are given rest of 6-36 hours before being slaughtered. .

Among other violations, the committee has said that no veterinarians were found deputed for the ante-mortem (inspection before the slaughter) at the lairage area or the knocking box or slaughter hall for checking the carcasses.

The panel also pointed out several violations of the food safety regulations, 2011 and Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals Act, 1960. “Chillers are required to maintain specific conditions such as temperature of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius and pH below 6 but they were found non-functional. Keeping meat which is a highly perishable item exposed to heat makes it unfit for human consumption. This is violative of Food Safety Standards and Food Business Operators’ regulation,” the report states. It adds that offals and blood were found littered in the parking area and there was absence of hygiene with many workers found operating without overalls, gloves or masks.

The committee has recommended setting up of CCTV cameras in the slaughter house premises and that the live feed should be shared with the monitoring committee. It has also recommended that two-hour gap between shifts should be observed and the time be used for cleaning the premises, and records of meat sale and purchase should be maintained.

Mohammad Arshad Qureshi, head of the Delhi Meat Merchant Association, said the slaughter house is at a distance of around 500m from the landfill site, and they are not facing problems due to its location. “In 2017, a section of landfill had collapsed and a pathway was blocked. The route has not yet been reopened which causes inconvenience to livestock traders,” he added. He did not comment about the operations of the facility adding that the traders have not faced any problems.

Shyam Sunder Aggarwal, mayor of the EDMC, said he has not seen the report but added that necessary action will be taken on the committee’s recommendations.