October 24, 2001	Wednesday	Shaba'an 6, 1422

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MIANWALI, Oct 23: Mianwali is the most backward district in the Punjab. Without acknowledging this reality, it was upgraded from the rank of backward area to the status of under-developed area some years back and, consequently, the privileges it enjoyed as a backward part of the province were withdrawn.

Mianwali town with a population of more than 300,000 is faced with problems of different nature. One major difficulty, for long, has been the unabated and rampant sale of poor quality and unhygienic meat.

The slaughter house which was constructed decades back does not even have the basic facilities. It is devoid of water taps, proper sanitation arrangements and even sufficient light. Authorities have never bothered to spend even a penny on its repairs even though it earns handsomely from the annual auction.

Butchers argue that on many an occasion they have provided bulbs and tubes on their own expense but the same disappear the very next morning, thanks to the heroin addicts found in the graveyard, the location of the slaughter house. Even the iron hooks used to hang the animals after being slaughtered are often stolen. In these miserable conditions, butchers are compelled to do the job at their own places, a practice most irritating for the nearby people and condition that suits epidemics to flourish as the waste is not disposed off properly.

There is an other slaughter house used to slaughter big animals. It also presents the same disappointing picture. A building built with a sizeable money has been ruined for lack of care on the part of the officials concerned. Doors, windows and even the roof material have disappeared mysteriously and it is now a haven for drug addicts.

Dr Muhammad Wali, veterinary officer, Mianwali, revealed that in the wee hours everyday he has to go to an octroi post with his stamp and wait there for butchers coming from different areas with already slaughtered animals just to put a clearance stamp on them. If he refuses to do so, it means trouble for him. For an officer, he says, it is really embarrassing.

He further said according to laws there must be provision of ante-mortem and post-mortem facilities at the slaughter houses which can ensure quality meat supply to the people.

The livestock department and municipal authorities have been requested many a time to redress the situation but they seem least bothered, he added.