Build up at an estimated cost of Rs 15.55 crore primarily to promote hygiene at the meat shops operating within the municipal periphery, the first state-of-the-art abattoir at Kanke’s Arsande inaugurated recently on May 5 by Municipal Commissioner Shantanu Agrahari and Deputy Mayor Sanjiv Vijayawargia is yet to taste the first blood.
According to Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) officials associated with this ambitious project at least another one month will be required for formal start of this mechanised system designed on Italian model.
Entangled in pollution clearance procedure since long, the officials of RMC quoted that efforts are being made to start the abattoir at the earliest. “Noida based firm – Micro Transmission Systems (MTS) who has been given the charge of operation and maintenance of Kanke Abattoir has to renew the license from Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB). A short period license issued earlier by State Pollution Control Board for six months had expired a few weeks back,” said RMC Executive Engineer Bijay Kumar Bhagat.
According to the Executive Engineer another stumbling block in starting the operation of the much awaited abattoir is to receive clearance from Central Ground Water Board. “Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) which is a process design for treating the industrial waste water for its reuse needs the approval of Central Ground Water Board. Also there is no water pipeline connection in Kanke,” added Bhagat
On the other hand, the five model meat shops established at Kanta Toli, Booti More, Morhabadi, Madhukam market and Kanke road too awaits the No Objection Certificate (NOC) of the State Pollution Control Board. According to RMC Officer (Health), Dr. Kiran Kumari, the Municipal Corporation is only entitled to register these model meat shops as its operation and maintenance has been given to a private party.
“As per the agreement done with the Noida based firm, license must be obtained for abattoir as well as for the model meat shops operation by the concerned agency who will maintain it for a particular tenure. The agency has applied for getting license a while ago. In a month all documentation tasks is likely to get complete,” Dr Kiran said.
Also, besides the issue of getting pollution clearance certificates from the nodal agencies, by far appointment of a veterinary doctor at the abattoir is another major obstruction in starting the project. According to the new by-laws of Municipal license (For sale of flesh, fish or poultry) Regulation, 2017 doctor’s appointment by RMC is mandatory before slaughtering animals at the abattoir for consumption. Earlier too all attempts of RMC proved futile in hiring a veterinary doctor on contractual basis despite publishing advertisement notice several time.