Substandard meat: Three butchers arrested, 4,000 kg of meat seized

‘District officer (Livestock) and TMO among officials accused of collusion’.

SARGODHA:

As many as three butchers were arrested and 4,000 kilogrammes of substandard meat seized from eight shops in Jhal Chakian area on Pindi Road on Thursday.

Three government officials, a veterinary doctor of Livestock Department and a sanitary inspector and a clerk of the town municipal administration, were also arrested for negligence.

The FIR registered with the Anti-Corruption Establishment (Sargodha Circle) nominated 30 butchers for selling substandard meat.

A separate case was lodged on negligence and malpractice charges against District Officer (Livestock) Dr Ijaz Ahmed Qadeer, TMO Ilyas Chaudhry, TO (Regulation) Sher Muhammad Gondal, Livestock Department officials Muhammad Masood, Muhammad Taj, Sanitary Inspectors Muhammad Aslam, Rana Muhammad Riaz and Chaudhry Abdul Sattar, Slaughter House Superintendent Mehr Muhammad Yaseen and Jhal Chakian police station house officer Khuda Bakhsh Malik.

An ACE (Sargodha Circle) official, who was part of the raiding team, said raids were underway to arrest all the suspects. He said the Livestock Department officials nominated in the FIR had issued fitness certificates for the meat seized from the shops.

A Livestock Department veterinary doctor, who was part of the raiding team, told The Express Tribune that the meat was unhygienic and unfit for consumption. He said the meat was to be supplied to restaurants in Sargodha and Rawalpindi.

He said the storage facilities at the eight shops had not been built in accordance with the standards set by the department.

The raiding team was headed by Judicial Magistrate Ahsanul Haq and included officials of the TMA, the Livestock Department and the police.

District and Sessions Judge Arshad Tabassum had ordered the raid on request of the Anti-Corruption Establishment.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2012.