KOCHI: Illegal slaughtering and dumping of waste at the Chambakkara canal at Vyttila continues even after the Pollution Control Board (PCB) directed the closure of the slaughter house. No effective steps have been taken by the authorities to put an end to the menace even after several directions.Amita Joseph, a resident of Eroor had filed a Public Interest Litigation against the Cochin Corporation alleging that the latter had failed in its statutory duty under the Kerala Municipality Act by flouting the directives of the court in connection with waste management.“The Champakkara market is in a pitiable condition. Entire waste generated from here is dumped at the back waters. We have informed the authorities but no action was taken. Officially, they have stopped slaughtering here. But even now, slaughtering of animals is done either early in the morning or late evening and the waste is dumped at the canal,” the petitioner said.At the time of an inquiry, slaughtering was stopped for a few days and was resumed soon. A bunch of animals including cows, calves, buffaloes, goats and pigs, allegedly meant for slaughtering, are kept at the backyard. The meat shops at the market openly display bloodstained meat. Though a public display of bloodstained meat is prohibited under the law, it is still happening in the city, the petition pointed out. This practice is adversely affecting the heath of the people.“Champakkara market doesn’t have basic infrastructure. The market is mainly for wholesale fish trading. It is not cleaned properly. The corporation is responsible for the issue,” V P Chandran of Champakkara Matsya Market Samrakshana Samithi said.The corporation-run slaughter house at Kaloor is also in a deplorable condition. Corporation had earlier submitted before the court that 45 acres of land had been acquired for shifting the slaughter house from Kaloor. But no steps have been taken to relocate the slaughter house. It is situated in the busiest part of the city and is surrounded by the private bus stand, several residential and commercial buildings and a hospital. The corporation had earlier informed the court that it was planning to shift the slaughter house to Brahmapuram, where the corporation had already purchased 33 acres of land for `2.38 crore. Considering the situation the petitioner sought a directive to the corporation for the effective disposal of waste and banning of slaughter in Champakkara and shifting of slaughter house from Kaloor.
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