Delhi: Ghazipur mandi flouts norms, says Supreme Court panel

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court-appointed Delhi slaughterhouse monitoring committee, which inspected the Ghazipur murga mandi on Monday, has stated that a number of violations are taking place at the market. These include unhygienic conditions, lack of supervision, improper handling and no check on the number of birds and fish arriving there.
Gauri Maulekhi, trustee at People for Animals (PFA) and a member of the monitoring committee, said a report will be prepared based on the observations and submitted to the urban secretary (development) for action.

During the inspection, the committee found lakhs of fish and birds arriving at the market, but there was no system in place to track the consignments and their source. “No records are being maintained about the exact number of birds and fish coming to the market and from where the consignments originated. Their health records are also not being tracked,” said Maulekhi.
Another committee member said that the birds were being slaughtered in the open without following proper practices. The carcasses of the birds were being dumped in the open and in drains with no clear demarcation between dead and alive birds.
“Fish scales, refused parts and feathers were seen choking stormwater drains. No health certificates could be produced by the butchers to indicate the animal was not suffering from any communicable disease,” said a member.
Maulekhi said the birds were being transported in cramped cages, a violation of Transport of Animals Rules, 1978. “From handling of birds to the slaughtering place, no rules are being followed. Let alone using gloves, the slaughtering is taking place in a cramped space with one bird next to another. The carcasses pose all sorts of health risks,” she added.
The committee will be submitting a list of recommendations along with photographs of the violations. “We have recorded illegal borewell connections too. We will ask the authorities to impose fines and take action against the violators. Those without health certificates should also be prosecuted,” said Maulekhi.
Earlier, Maulekhi had filed a PIL in Delhi high court arguing that only trading of live poultry birds should be allowed at the Ghazipur market and not the slaughterhouse, which is illegal. The petition, proceedings for which are still on, also said that illegal slaughtering of 2.5 lakh poultry birds was taking place every day at the market.