Food-borne diseases and food poisoning due to consumption of foul and low-quality meat have increased manifold during the last two months. The health department has blamed the veterinary department for facilitating transportation of low quality meat in the market in exchange for petty cash. Karachi division has 18 towns, five districts and a population of more than 20 million. However, only two slaughter houses are operational in Karachi.
Pakistan today learnt that many animals were transported out of the slaughter house in one piece instead of the mandatory four pieces. Many animal carcasses were taken out of the slaughter house without quality assurance certificates and stamps. Of the two slaughter houses in Karachi, the hygienic conditions in New Karachi slaughter house were in a dire strait. The practice of bloating animal meat with water; a norm overlooked by authorities for a decade is thought to a major cause of diseases. Supply of meat without KMC authorized stamps, negatively effects the revenue the corporation needs to raise to maintain its facilities. Around 70,000 sheep and cattle are slaughtered every month at the two slaughter houses. The government charges Rs 60 for each big animal and Rs 50 for each small animal. The government should raise Rs 3.6million a month from the slaughter houses, however, due to corruption of staff, the government neither earns the potential revenue, nor do consumers get an access to healthy meat.
Veterinary Department Director Dr. Isfaque assured Pakistan Today that everyone supplying meat without stamps would be taken to the court of law. However meat shops in Gulshen Iqbal town, Liari town, Liaqatabad , Shah Faisal Town, Jamshed town and Baldia town sell meat without government stamps daily.
