UNCERTAINTY PREVAILS OVER FUNCTIONING OF ATALA ABATTOIR IN PRAYAGRAJ

PRAYAGRAJ : Although Id-ulAzha or Bakrid is round the corner, uncertainty still prevails over reopening of Atala slaughterhouse here for the occasion. The festival is falling on July 21 this year.

The abattoir was shut down on the orders of the national green tribunal (NGT) in 2017. The NGT had found that untreated waste of these slaughterhouses was going into rivers through drains. Since then, people are forced to sacrifice animals at their homes or open in spaces during Eid-ul-Azha.

Like in previous years, local leaders and activists have again demanded the district administration to allow functioning of the slaughterhouse for three days on July 21, 22 and 23 for sacrifice of animals.

Locals often throw the waste after sacrificing animals at garbage dumps or in nearby drains. As per officials concerned sacrifice of buffaloes can only be carried out at proper designated place where proper disposal of waste material can be ensured.

Activist Javed Mohammad said claimed a delegation led by him handed over a memorandum to the district magistrate on June 24 in which officials had been urged to allow functioning of the slaughterhouse for three days during the upcoming festival. No response has yet been received from the district administration in this connection, he added. As per him, the delegation also requested that as buffaloes had to be brought from remote areas, police should cooperate in their transportation. Also, Nagar Nigam should ensure cleaning of the abattoir for the occasion.

Nagar Nigam veterinary officer Neeraj Singh said he had yet not received any request regarding opening of the slaughterhouse on Eid-ul-Azha yet. Moreover, no letter from the district administration had yet been forwarded to him in this connection, he added.