Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) will now issue licence to slaughter houses also along with meat shops with a condition that they fulfill the criteria set by the corporation.
Though the civic body is yet to frame bylaws for issuing licences to it, the minimum criteria a slaughter house owner has to fulfill is that it must be set up at a place identified by it and will have to maintain proper hygiene certified by the Environmental Engineers sent by RMC.
“Initially, permission for slaughtering a maximum of 10 big animals will be given,” said RMC Health Officer Kiran Kumari. Bylaws for the same are being prepared which may take few more days, she added.
“A slaughter house must be opened at a place identified by RMC and must have to maintain proper hygiene having proper light and ventilation in it,” said Kumari. It must also have proper space for keeping at least 10 big animals in it along with a permanent
veterinary doctor to check up the animals whether they were fit for slaughtering or not,” she said.
“It should also have proper waste disposal system so that the waste coming out after slaughtering of animals are disposed of within 24 hours,” said the Health Officer. The licences will be issued only after the clearance is given by the Environmental engineers sent by the RMC for a site visit, she said.
Incidentally, a few days after the Aditya Nath Yogi Government's crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses in Uttar Pradesh, State Government in Jharkhand also decided to ban them in the state on March 27 giving 72 hours ultimatum to them to shut their businesses declaring all of them as illegal. A few days after the directive, the RMC also declared all meat shops as illegal and cancelled their licences asking them to remain shut till fresh licences are issued to them.
Now, as the bylaws have been prepared for issuing licences for meat shops, it is awaiting nod by RMC board only after which the process in this regard could be started.
“It will take at least 20 days more to get licences issued to the meat shops as we have referred to the RMC board for its approval. First it will passed by the board, then the process of licence issue will be started by us which may take another 20 days,” said the Health Officer.
Under the new provision, a person seeking licence for a meat shop will have to furnish an affidavit depicting from where they will get the supply of meat and will follow the guidelines issued by the RMC. It has been made mandatory for the meat shop owners to get their animals slaughtered at the hi-tech slaughter house being prepared at Kanke by the State Government.