MUMBAI: With Eid-ul-Azha or Bakrid, the three-day festival of animal sacrifice (June 29-July 1) a week away, the BMC-run Deonar Abattoir is being readied to house and trade in thousands of goats, sheep and cattle (buffalo).
Led by NCP leader Saleem Sarang, a delegation of Maharashtra Muslim Coordination Committee visited the sprawling abattoir or slaughterhouse spread over 64 acres at Deonar on Monday. Accompanied by the abattoir’s Assistant General Manager (AGM) Dr Sachin Kulkarni, the delegation reviewed the preparations being made for the arrival of around 2 lakh goats and sheep and 15000 cattle to the abattoir in the next few days.
Besides 8 permanent sheds, 30 temporary sheds (16 for goats and 14 for cattle) have been built to house the animals being brought from different parts of Maharashtra and elsewhere in the country. “We are happy that the slaughterhouse’s management has put in hard work and created enough sheds, put up lights, CCTVs for 24X7 surveillance and other facilities. Thousands of buyers visit this massive slaughterhouse and all measures should be taken to make the sale and purchase of goats and cattle hassle-free,” said Sarang.
Since the festival of animal sacrifice has fallen in the middle of the monsoon, authorities said all precautionary measures have been taken to avoid water logging and drenching of the animals at the abattoir ground. “We have enough sheds, proper drainage system, lights and surveillance mechanism to avoid not just water logging but also theft of animals,” said abattoir General Manager Dr Kaleem Pathan.
Pathan added that each trader will be given an entry pass with a QR code which will have all the relevant information about him (name, address, number of animals he has brought…). “This will prevent fraud and will help catch the thief easily if someone tries to steal animals,” added Dr Kulkarni.
Activist M A Khalid who was also part of the delegation said the authorities must ensure that buyers are not cheated. “Every transaction should be transparent and a valid bill should be given to the buyers so as no antisocial elements harass the buyers while they transport the animals from the abattoir to their homes,” said Khalid. Buffalos will be sacrificed at the abattoir itself while sheep and goats can be taken to housing societies where slaughter during Bakrid is allowed.
Arrangements like toilets, sanitation at sheds and slaughter areas have been created. “This year the facilities are much better in comparison to the previous years,” said meat trader Shahnawaz Thanawala while activists like Mateen Khan, Ayub Qureishi and others echoed.
However, they demanded that the authorities must look into cases of harassment of traders by some antisocial elements while entering the city.
