Illegal slaughterhouses abound in Mirpurkhas

MIRPURKHAS:

Illegal slaughterhouses are running in the Mirpurkhas district posing serious health hazards to the citizens.

Civic circles have strongly criticised the Mirpurkhas district administration, the local governemnt and the police for turning a blind eye to the illegal practice. Citizens are being fed the meat of emaciated and sick animals, said concerned locals.

People said that they feared that consuming the meat of sick animals could cause ailments. They said that Mirpurkhas Municipal Corporation was unable to take any action in this regard. Citizens have demanded from the Mirpurkhas Deputy Commissioner Dr Rasheed Masood and Mayor Abdul Raf Ghori that they should take immediate notice of illegal slaughterhouses and the sale of sick meat.

Per regulations, animals have to be slaughtered at the official slaughterhouse managed by the municipal authorities under the supervision of a health official who stamps the meat as assurance of coming from a healthy source under hygienic conditions.

It has been observed that the butchers have built illegal slaughterhouses for animals at their shops and houses in Mirpurkhas areas such as Mahajir Colony, Dholanabad, Gharibabad, Bhansingabad, and Satellite Town. According to the sources, sick, disabled and emaciated animals are bought and slaughtered at cheap prices. The meat of these animals is openly hauled away in vehicles. If the police stop them on the way, they are given the bribes and the meat is taken in the market and eateries.

The meat of these sick animals is used not only in Mirpurkhas but also in the markets and eateries of Hyderabad.

The substandard meat is especially used by the owners of restaurants and barbeque outlets besides fast food stalls offering biryani, haleem, nihari and other such spicy food. The professional cooks hide the foul taste and smell of the low-quality meat with spices and chillies.