Still no mechanism to check dead meat trade?

LAHORE
Despite launching a serious crackdown on sellers of meat of dead animals in the city, there is no mechanism under which the city authorities can nab those especially owners of restaurants and food stalls who knowingly purchase this unhygienic meat and sell it to citizens in cooked form.
The City District Government Lahore (CDGL), the Livestock department and the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) are responsible to ensure provision of pure, hygienic and safe edibles including meat to citizens but ironically there is no coordination between them.
On Thursday, a special team of CDGL’s Livestock department carried out a raid and confiscated 3,240 kilogram meat of dead animals from three different illegal slaughter houses in the Bakar Mandi area.
Excited by the recovery, the CDGL officials immediately started calling media professionals and reporters of different TV channels to reach the spot for coverage but not a single call was made to the officials of the PFA to come to the spot and get information from the culprits about their regular customers especially hotels, restaurants and food stalls owners who purchase this meat. The culprits were handed over to police and still there is no mechanism under which police could pass on information to the relevant offices so that a proper monitoring of such restaurants, hotels and food stalls could be started who were involved in purchasing of meat of dead animals.
Dr Rahat, a senior official of CDGL’s Livestock wing admitted that there is no coordination between the livestock department and the PFA.
He, however, said that the livestock department is soon going to launch a campaign against the buyers of meat of dead animals under which a warning will be issued to all hotels, restaurants and food stall owners by the department.
He said the department has also decided to carry out surprise inspections of food outlets and check the record of their meat supplies.
Secondly, the livestock department has also started registration of butchers and slaughter houses operating in the provincial capital, he said adding after registration, licenses will be issued to the butchers. This will improve the quality of meat.
Dr Rahat maintained that the Punjab government had already approved enhancing punishment for the sale of substandard food and edibles including meat and besides imprisonment of ten years, a fine of Rs 30 lakh will be imposed over the death of a person due to substandard food. He said the Punjab Assembly has also passed an Act and it is in final stages of implementation after which things will improve significantly.
He said besides imprisonment of eight years, a fine of five lakh rupees will be imposed on the people involved in selling meat of dead animals. Besides this the offence will be made non-bailable, Dr Rahat maintained.
Recently, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif held a high-level meeting in which he directed the relevant departments to work in a coordinated manner and take indiscriminate action against those involved in the sale of dead animals’ meat.
He said the relevant institutions will have to deal with the enemies of humanity with an iron hand. A senior official of Livestock department revealed that on average, Lahorities consume meat of over 8,000 goats/lamb and around 800 cows daily whereas the demand of mutton and beef is on higher side on Thursday and Sunday.
He said the people arrested during Thursday raid revealed that they had purchased six big animals for Rs 15,000 out of which they made 3,240 kg meat. He said an average rate of beef in the city is Rs 300 per kilogram which means the culprits, if sell this meat, could earn Rs 9,70,000. He said high demand of mutton and beef is far higher than the above mentioned supply and this is why meat supplies from other cities were made to fill the gap.
Citizens have appealed to the Punjab government to formulate a coordination mechanism so that all those benefiting from this vicious circle could be arrested and brought to justice.