Coming up, meat vending zones

BHUBANESWAR: Very soon there will be numerous meat vending zones in the city. In a recent a directive, the Orissa High Court has asked the BMC to remove the present meat vending zones from public places.The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been asked to set up temporary meat vending zones till the proposed permanent slaughter house comes up. The work on the temporary meat vending zones will start very soon. The HC had in the past also asked the BMC to set up  an abattoir to minimise the number of vending zones, particularly at the roadsides.BMC had proposed to set up five abattoirs in the city. For this purpose, after consultation with the General Administration (GA) department, lands had been identified at Dumduma, VSS Nagar, Ghatikia, Pandara and Gadakana.The Centre for Environment and Development (CED) was assigned to prepare the detailed project report (DPR). “But after a review, it was found out that five separate abattoirs were not feasible,” said BMC deputy commissioner Krushna Prasad Pati.It has now been decided that instead of five abattoirs, only one huge abattoir will be constructed. The land for the abattoir, around two acres, has been identified in consultation with the GA department.BMC received the identified land at Rudrapur recently. The places  previously identified for abattoirs will now be converted into meat vending zones. “The CED has been asked to prepare the DPR and as soon as the BMC receives the DPR, the tender for the construction will be issued,” said Pati.The CED will monitor the working of the the abattoir. Vehicles will supply meat to the vending zones. The Central government will bear 50 pc of the cost.