A killing cost

After facing flak from the Supreme Court over delayed functioning of the Ghazipur slaughterhouse, the over- enthusiastic MCD is now shelling out Rs. 1,608 for slaughtering each animal as the plant is working under capacity.

After facing flak from the Supreme Court over delayed functioning of the Ghazipur slaughterhouse, the over- enthusiastic Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is now shelling out Rs. 1,608 for slaughtering each animal as the plant is working under capacity.

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While a total of Rs. 132 crore has already been spent by the civic agency for construction of the slaughterhouse, this additional expense has put a burden of Rs. 67 lakh on the MCD per month. The figure of 67 lakh includes cost of hiring 20 safai karmacharis or sanitation workers (0.91 lakh), nine doctors (5.35 lakh), ten engineers (2.50 lakh), security guards (4.83 lakh), butchers (3.90 lakh), consumables (6 lakh), foreign team (35 lakh) and electricity (9 lakh).

For every 4,000 animals slaughtered in a month the civic body spends Rs. 67 lakh as they are only working on one shift of the jhatka section. According to sources, alarmed over the escalating cost, Mayor Arti Mehra has written a letter to municipal commissioner K.S. Mehra to ensure steps are taken to cut down on expenses and to make it fully functional.

Though the jhatka section has become operational since last year December but only 80 to 100 animals are being slaughtered everyday. MCD Commissioner K.S. Mehra, has said that the halal section will be operational by February 25 and the buffalo section by March 2. “We will develop a software by which each animal can be identified by the butcher by micro-chipping of animals. We are also planning to make chilling plants and purchase refrigerated vans for transporting of meat to all parts of the city. We have started the process of issuing licenses to people to set-up livestock market nearby also,” said K.S. Mehra.

It will still take MCD another two months to make the slaughterhouse fully functional. This will mean that MCD would have spent over 1 crore on keeping the slaughterhouse functional under capacity. On an average, the abattoir should be slaughtering 5,000 animals in one shift and 10,000 by in two shifts.

In the letter written by the mayor, she has mentioned the cost of operating the abattoir can be brought down only when all sections are operational.