Centre clears slaughterhouse project

Kulwinder Sangha
Mohali, December 1

The Government of India (GOI) has given its approval to the Municipal Corporation to set up a modern abattoir in the Phase I Industrial Area here to ensure the scientific and hygienic slaughtering of animals.
The cost of the slaughter house project will be Rs 809.06 lakh.
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries will provide a financial aid of  Rs 332.57 lakh while the local body/state government’s share in the project will be Rs 476.49 lakh.
The letter of approval of the  Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries was received by the civic body on November 26.
In the letter addressed to Ashok Gupta, Secretary, Department of Urban Local Bodies, Punjab,
SN Ahmed, Assistant Director (Livestock Products), conveyed the approval of the competent authority for grant-in-aid to the corporation.
The letter further stated that “to facilitate the release of instalments of grant-in-aid you may submit the required documents as mentioned against each instalment”.
Commissioner of the corporation Uma Shankar Gupta said here today that since the approval for the project had been given by the Centre, the civic body would now hire  a consultant to prepare a detailed project report and get the project implemented.
He said the corporation itself did not have the expertise to undertake such a project. The consultant would be hired in about a month’s time who would then be given two months to make the required preparations for the setting up of a modern slaughterhouse.  The time period for the project was 18 months and he hoped that it would be completed before the stipulated time.
The abattoir will come up on about  2.6 acres and have  a capacity for slaughtering sheep, goats, poultry birds and pigs. The installed capacity of the new facility will be 3,600 poultry birds per day, 10  pigs  per day
and in the case of goats/sheep, 50  heads per day. The facilities will include a poultry processing plant, a steam boiler and an ice plant.
There will be arrangements for providing both “halal” and “jhatka” types of meat. The new facility will be also equipped with a modern technology for slaughter waste management and pollution control. It will offer a more humane treatment of animals and better hygiene and safety.