Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Corporation plans to crackdown on hotels

Special Correspondent

For procuring meat from illegal vendors

Thiruvananthapuram: The City Corporation is planning a crackdown on hotels and restaurants buying meat from unauthorised outlets. Corporation sources said eateries buying meat from unauthorised vendors would have their certificates cancelled. The move is part of a drive to ensure the quality of cooked meat supplied through hotels and restaurants. This follows the recent seizure of stale beef from the Peroorkada market.

The proposal involves surprise inspections on hotels. “Eateries serving cooked meat will be asked to provide the receipt issued by the vendor. This will help us to cross check whether the animal was slaughtered at the Corporation’s abattoir at Kunnukuzhy, the only place where the meat is certified by a veterinary surgeon,” says a civic official.

“Restaurants often compromise on the quality of raw meat because the dishes are deep fried or cooked in spices to mask any tell tale sign of staleness. Most hotels procure their daily supply of meat at around 4 a.m. If the licenced vendors fail to supply the meat at this time, they will turn to unauthorised traders,”says Dr.L.Ravikumar, Senior Veterinary Surgeon.

The Corporation has launched criminal proceedings against the owner of the meat stall at the Peroorkada market from where 150 kg of stale meat was seized on Thursday. A case has been registered against the vendor under the provisions of the Kerala Municipalities Act and the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

Meanwhile, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB) has issued a circular to the Corporation directing it to take action against unauthorised meat stalls. The communication asks the Corporation to enforce a Supreme Court verdict issued in 2003 making it mandatory for all licensed meat stalls to put up boards informing the public about the slaughterhouse from where the meat was sourced and the PCB licence number issued to the abattoir.

The circular calls on the Corporation to cancel the licence of authorised vendors found selling stale meat. It also directs the civic body to close down all the unauthorised vendors and slaughter sheds operating in the city. The Corporation has been given 14 days to abide by the directions.

Dr.Ravikumar said the Corporation was expecting Central Government assistance under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to set up five new service abattoirs and modernise the existing slaughterhouse at Kunnukuzhy. The Rs.9-crore project also envisages the procurement of five refrigerated meat vans.

The new abattoirs will be partially mechanised, with facilities for safe and hygienic slaughter. The Corporation has identified land at Ambalathara, Kadakampally, Kunchalummoodu, Kudappanakunnu and Nemom to set up the new abattoirs.

The facility at Kunnukuzhy is able to meet only a fraction of the demand for meat in the city.

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