The mutton curry or kebab or other non-vegetarian delicacies you are munching on at a restaurant or even at your own abode may not be as hygienic as it should be or kept in the proper way in the meat shops.
A number of butchers in the city have been violating the civic body directives to maintain proper hygiene and cleanliness. Several meat shops at Kokar, Harmu, Bahu Bazaar, Bariatu and Kutchery have set up there stalls without the glass cover. At many places the shops are put up in open and no hygiene is being maintained.
Since 2012, Ranchi Municipal Corporation has been regularly issuing directives regarding maintaining hygiene and putting up screens at the stalls. However, not many vendors in the State Capital have taken these directives seriously.
“We do not have any alternate arrangement for our meat shop, every morning the slaughtering begins and in afternoon we are done with are work. So there is no need for us to keep the meat product inside the glass cover,” said Imam Mahjeed, a meat vendor.
Similarly, a fish vendor, Naveen said, “We catch fish daily every morning and sell it within a few hours to our customers. We do not need to maintain the products. Moreover, when it comes to hygiene I personally clean up the place one’s we are done with it.”
However RMC claims that they keep a tab on these kinds of meat shop which do not have proper glass covers to maintain there non-vegetarian products.
“Checking drive was conducted few months back. And we too fail to conduct checking drive on regular basis. Those meat shops which do not have these glass cover are the unlicensed one. In the future also we are planning to conduct checking drives,” said Public Relations Officer of RMC Naresh Kumar Sinha.
“This time we are going to charge double amount than what we used to charge earlier if we find any unlicensed shop running without the glass cover,” Sinha further added.
Besides, everything it must be ensured that the health of the animals are checked by veterinary doctors from time to time before they are taken for slaughter.
Maintaining cleanliness in the slaughter area and arrangement to release waste water is mandatory according to the civic body directives.
According to Supreme Court guidelines, every meat shops must operate with necessary environmental clearances from authorities.