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NOIDA: Scores of makeshift roadside butcher shops have been conducting their daily business on the streets of Noida throwing caution and hygiene to the winds due to lack of proper licenses being issued to them. Noida lacks an abattoir, slaughtering poles or a place set apart and approved by the local authority for slaughtering animals and birds for consumption of residents. Even though the Noida Authority had proposed an abattoir seven years back in sector 62, no work has started on the site.
A drive down Harola, sectors 4, 5, 8, 37, sectors 61-62 and many more such places, shows that enterprising vendors have set up shop, armed with just a table, a weighing machine and a butcher's knife. You may even catch a glimpse of the 'home deliverer' who roams from sector to sector with chickens tied to the handle-bar of his cycle. To top it all, these animals are being hacked to death, in full public view. Gory scenes unfold for children and the passersby, not to mention the foul stench and the blood which spills onto the road.
There is no reliable means of ascertaining if the meat made available by these butchers and meat sellers is suitable for consumption. Dr SP Singh, chief veterinary officer, said, "The duty of the district veterinary doctor is to cull out the old and diseased animals so that there is no chance of animal diseases spreading to humans."
Noida does not even have a competent designated body to look after the municipal functions and a town planning authority continues to discharge this onerous task. Deputy chief executive officer, Noida, NP Singh, said, "This matter is not concerned with me."
Noida Authority, instead of being aware of municipal responsibilities, simply treats this as a territorial infringement by the meat vendors. They claim that they undertake frequent drives to remove these unauthorized shops, but they keep coming back after a few days. RS Yadav, an enforcement cell officer, voiced his concern at the existing ad hoc meat shops and said, "It is definitely a health hazard under the present unhygienic conditions that the meat is being cut and sold. Currently, all outlets in the city dispensing these non-vegetarian products are illegal."
Sanjay Chauhan, city magistrate, said, "The role of the district administration is limited as Noida does not have a competent body to discharge the municipal functions. We can only provide police backup and support whenever the Authority undertakes enforcement drives to remove the illegal vendors. There is no licensing policy for vending meat products and so it is a free for all."
Vireshwar Singh, deputy CEO in-charge of the enforcement cell, says, "No one has complained to us about these unauthorized meat vendors. We will certainly take action if someone does."
Many even allege that the shops are set up in connivance with officials. A vendor, Nawab, says, "Do you think this trade can flourish without police support? We know it is illegal to run a place like this but this is our rozi-roti." Another owner of a makeshift shop, Mohammed, says, "We don't know what the law says. We have been in this business for so many years, but have never seen meat being rejected."
Health inspectors as well as veterinary doctors are supposed to conduct inspections of the meat being sold to ensure no meat of diseased animals finds their way to tables of residents. But Ved Pal, health officer says, "This matter does not fall under my purview. Only cleanliness and sanitation do."
A drive down Harola, sectors 4, 5, 8, 37, sectors 61-62 and many more such places, shows that enterprising vendors have set up shop, armed with just a table, a weighing machine and a butcher's knife. You may even catch a glimpse of the 'home deliverer' who roams from sector to sector with chickens tied to the handle-bar of his cycle. To top it all, these animals are being hacked to death, in full public view. Gory scenes unfold for children and the passersby, not to mention the foul stench and the blood which spills onto the road.
There is no reliable means of ascertaining if the meat made available by these butchers and meat sellers is suitable for consumption. Dr SP Singh, chief veterinary officer, said, "The duty of the district veterinary doctor is to cull out the old and diseased animals so that there is no chance of animal diseases spreading to humans."
Noida does not even have a competent designated body to look after the municipal functions and a town planning authority continues to discharge this onerous task. Deputy chief executive officer, Noida, NP Singh, said, "This matter is not concerned with me."
Noida Authority, instead of being aware of municipal responsibilities, simply treats this as a territorial infringement by the meat vendors. They claim that they undertake frequent drives to remove these unauthorized shops, but they keep coming back after a few days. RS Yadav, an enforcement cell officer, voiced his concern at the existing ad hoc meat shops and said, "It is definitely a health hazard under the present unhygienic conditions that the meat is being cut and sold. Currently, all outlets in the city dispensing these non-vegetarian products are illegal."
Sanjay Chauhan, city magistrate, said, "The role of the district administration is limited as Noida does not have a competent body to discharge the municipal functions. We can only provide police backup and support whenever the Authority undertakes enforcement drives to remove the illegal vendors. There is no licensing policy for vending meat products and so it is a free for all."
Vireshwar Singh, deputy CEO in-charge of the enforcement cell, says, "No one has complained to us about these unauthorized meat vendors. We will certainly take action if someone does."
Many even allege that the shops are set up in connivance with officials. A vendor, Nawab, says, "Do you think this trade can flourish without police support? We know it is illegal to run a place like this but this is our rozi-roti." Another owner of a makeshift shop, Mohammed, says, "We don't know what the law says. We have been in this business for so many years, but have never seen meat being rejected."
Health inspectors as well as veterinary doctors are supposed to conduct inspections of the meat being sold to ensure no meat of diseased animals finds their way to tables of residents. But Ved Pal, health officer says, "This matter does not fall under my purview. Only cleanliness and sanitation do."
