GUWAHATI, Oct 13 - The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has decided to set up its own hygienic meat selling outlets in the city after the Greater Guwahati Qureshi Meat Association (GGQMA) announced to keep all meat shops closed for an unspecified period from October 15.
The GGQMA said that they had taken the decision to keep their shutters down as the GMC had arbitrarily shut down three meat shops recently without any prior notice. Reacting to the allegation, GMC officials said that the meat sellers in question were found flouting the standard procedure of slaughtering animals and selling hygienic meat.
�We are going to set up our own outlets for selling the hygienic meat of the slaughter house. Along with outlets, we will also introduce mobile vans for door-to-door sale of meat. We will open a helpline number for public to avail the service,� Veterinary Officer of GMC, Pradip Medhi said.
On the other hand, Medhi also informed that in the only slaughter house of the city located on the campus of Assam Livestock And Poultry Corporation (ALPCo), no slaughtering of animals has taken place for the past 20 days due to non-cooperation of meat sellers.
Meanwhile, general secretary of the GGQMA Mokbul Ahmed said, �We stopped selling the meat supplied from the slaughter house due to its substandard quality. Customers always want fresh meat, but the meat coming from the slaughter house usually does not have the freshness. We will never sell that meat because our main concern is the need of the customer.�
The slaughter house in the city was set up by the State government and currently it is being run by a private firm that has taken it on lease.
Meanwhile, according to the GMC Act, �The owner of a meat shop is not allowed to slaughter any animals intended for human consumption in or around the meat retail shop. Slaughter of animal has to be done in a slaughter house, which is recognised or licensed by the Corporation.�
The Act also mentions that adulterated and inferior quality meat is not allowed for sale in the retail shop.
The Act also mentions, �No carcass shall be kept in a manner so as to be open to public view and open to the environment. A refrigerated showcase should be used to display the meat to be sold.�
On the other hand, the GMC has also stopped renewing the trade licences of the city-based meat sellers for the last six months as they have refused to sell the meat of the slaughter house.
