Corporation targets unhygienic meat stalls

Coimbatore Corporation carried out surprise checks at meat stalls on Thursday to find out whether they were hygienic.

A team led by the Corporation Veterinary Officer and Zoo Director S. Thirukumaran checked for hygiene at stalls in Gandhipuram, Ganapathy, Singanallur, Sowripalayam and Ramanathapuram. Dr. Thirukumaran said the surprise checks would continue in order to eliminate shops that stored and sold meat amid unhygienic conditions.

The officials found that goats were slaughtered at the stalls in violation of the rule that this should be done only at the slaughter houses. The team seized about 300 kg meat of animals slaughtered at the stalls.

All the stall owners were told that meat should be kept in glass shelves and not displayed openly. While this was one of the measures to ensure hygiene, the other was to have tiled flooring so that cleaning was made easy and effective.

Explaining the objective of the drive, Dr. Thirukumaran said: “The number of meats stalls is increasing in the city but many of them function under trees and even along drainage canals. This is not a healthy trend.”

Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran had instructed that all meat stalls should have a standard size and facility that provided for safe storage and proper cleaning. With many stalls continuing to flout the instructions, the Commissioner had ordered for a fresh and continuous drive.

The Veterinary Officer said there was no proper disposal of meat waste by the stalls. This resulted in stray dogs feeding on the waste creating problems for people near the stalls.