High Court notice to AMC for building slaughterhouse

Ahmedabad, Nov 28 (UNI) The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has been issued notice by the Gujarat High court for constructing a slaughterhouse and meat market near its periphery here.

The notice is returnable on December 26.

Ms Justice Abhilasha Kumari of Gujarat High Court today issued the notice in response to a written petition filed by Mirzapur Moti Quresh (Kasab Jamat) requesting for construction of slaughterhouse with cattle-shed at Piplaj village or any other appropriate place near its periphery here and for construction and maintenance of new meat markets here.

The petitioner contented that the existing slaughterhouse is situated in the crowded area of Jamalpur and cattle-shed is at far away distance which creates problems in transportation of cattles from the shed to slaughterhouse.

They also stated that the road being extremely busy with heavy vehicular traffic jams, the transportation of animals perhaps hurts the religious sentiments of the people who are vegetarian.

He mentioned the Corporation had agreed to shift the existing slaughterhouse to Piplaj but the same has not been done, and therefore demanded to shift the slaughterhouse to the periphery here.

Appearing for the petitioner, advocates Mr Samshad Pathan and Mr S H Iyer submitted that Chapter-VI of the BPMC Act casts obligation and duty upon the Municipal Corporation to construct and maintain slaughterhouses and public markets.

They argued that there is just one slaughterhouse in the city here which has more than 50 lakh of population. The existing slaughterhouse is over a century old and that too in a poor and dilapidated condition. No person is willing to consume meat that comes from the existing slaughterhouse.

They further argued the slaughterhouse caters only to the animals at Kankaria Zoo and it does not serve the needs of human beings. The inaction on the part of Corporation of not creating new slaughterhouse, cattle-shed and meat markets at appropriate places in the city here amounts to flagrant violation of the fundamental rights of the traders under article 19(g) of the Constitution of India and also violative of its obligation under BPMC Act.

UNI