3 min readNew DelhiJun 13, 2009 01:37 AM IST
First published on: Jun 13, 2009 at 01:37 AM IST
Several meat associations in Delhi have threatened to go on strike just before the Commonwealth Games if they are not allowed to return to the Idgah slaughterhouse.
In an order,the Supreme Court had asked meat sellers to move out of the old,unhygienic Idgah abattoir to the modern facility in Ghazipur. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was asked to execute this order. The MCD took its time because the Ghazipur facility was not ready,but the move gained momentum end of last year.
Sellers of both halal and jhatka meat,forgetting all differences,knocked on all doors — those of all relevant government bodies and also of President Pratibha Patil — against the Supreme Court order. But there was no response.
Both associations hold that animals are given ‘electric shocks’ in Ghazipur which is against their religious beliefs and,therefore,not acceptable. They have lost business,they claimed.
The jhatka section of the Idgah slaughterhouse,considerably the smaller of the two,was the first to be sealed by the MCD. It moved to Ghazipur on December 10,2008.
“We’re not earning anything and the rate charged for each slaughter is ten times more than what we were paying at Idgah. We cannot go on like this,” said Kishen Lal,president of the jhatka association.
The halal meat association is still operating out of Idgah. They fear losing a substantial percentage of their earnings from the shift. Both sections used to pay Rs 5 for slaughtering a lamb at Idgah. It costs Rs 45 in Ghazipur.
“We will not move. Every week,MCD authorities come here and threaten to evict us. We will close our shops,but we are not moving,” said Mohammad Aquin Qureshi,president of the halal meat association in Delhi.
Both associations say the livestock market in Sadar Bazar is quite far from the new Ghazipur abattoir and they have to spend triple the amount on transportation.
Lal added: “If our children suffer from the loss of business,we will ensure Delhi goes meatless. If we stick to our protest,it will be near impossible for organisers to serve meat during the Commonwealth Games.”
Civic officials say they are following the Supreme Court’s order. “We are not acting on our own but are ready to talk to them (associations) and minimise their problems,” said the civic body’s spokesperson Deep Mathur.
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