The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) is set to strengthen its enforcement teams for keeping a check on unauthorized meat sellers after the new regulation that clearly mentions that small shops will be allowed only to sell 50 chickens and 10 slaughtered goat meats per day.
“The decision has been considered after studying its feasibility. As per the Food Safety Regulation, quantity of poultry sale has been defined. Data is being collected and the supervisors have been instructed to conduct regular checking drive to ensure that rules are being followed or not,” said, Additional Municipal Commissioner (ACM), Divyanshu Jha.
The ACM further said that at block level as well, food safety officers have been instructed to keep a check on poultry sellers breaching the regulations. Notably, the CM in the meeting, has instructed the officials to keep strict vigil on the meat sellers to curb the sale of banned meat. In addition, it has been made mandatory for all vendors to have license and to follow all environmental norms as per the guidelines drafted the State Pollution Control Board.
After the ban on illegal slaughter houses in March this year across Jharkhand, the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) so far has issued only 32 licenses to the meat sellers. However, in the absence of trained enforcement squads, the decision of conducting regular checking drive has taken a back-seat. So far, in the absence of trained personnel, quite a number of meat sellers are doing brisk business, infringing the guidelines of Municipal license (for sale of flesh, fish and poultry), Regulation, 2017.
“We too have received few complains about it. At the moment, we are working towards strengthening the enforcement team. Officials at Municipal Corporation are confident that the regulations will be followed in the systematic way. Moreover, we have to check those meat sellers, who have been selling flesh in small quantity at the moment. For selling bulk amount, clearance from Health Department has been made mandatory which may require some time as RMC is yet to make the abattoir at Kanke operational,” added, Jha.