The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is yet to execute its plan regarding the construction of modern slaughterhouse in the city, in the absence of which the residents of the federal capital are consuming unhygienic meat, Pakistan Today has learnt.
“Two years ago, the CDA planned to construct a slaughterhouse on modern lines in sector G-9 near the Sunday Bazaar. Owing to lack of interest, CDA high-ups did not allocate funds for it even in the current budget 2011-2012 and decided to construct it on Design Built Operate (DBOT),” said a CDA official.
The official said that the CDA high-ups of CDA only executed those projects which caught the attraction of government functionaries. “CDA’s directorate concerned informed its finance wing several times that the construction of modern slaughter house on DBOT basis is impossible but they pay no heed to it,” he said. He said that the main objective of the construction of modern slaughterhouse was to control slaughtering of animals at private places and to ensure that animals were slaughtered in a hygienic manner. The old slaughterhouse was constructed in 1963 over CDA’s land at Sihala, he said. He said that under the plan, modern sheds, slaughtering halls and medical laboratory would be set up in the facility.
The official said that according to the CDA’s plan, management of slaughterhouse would purchase animals and sell its meat to butchers. He said 200 animals were slaughtered daily at the slaughterhouse which showed the facility was not being used fully, he said. He said that owing to the poor management of old slaughterhouse, the residents of Humak and Sihala had lodged complaints of unhygienic conditions in and around the slaughterhouse.
The official said that presently there were 620 meat shops in the city to cater to a population of more than 1.5 million. The non-availability of a slaughterhouse in Islamabad meant that meat had to be brought in from Rawalpindi and owing to authorities’ negligence butchers slaughtered animal privately in unhygienic conditions, he said.
