KARACHI, March 18: An illegal abattoir is being operated in Malir, behind the famous Liaquat Market, in which about 200-250 animals are slaughtered almost daily and the meat is supplied to the local markets.
Here neither the medical fitness of the animals is checked, nor the temporary meat platforms are properly cleaned and disinfected.
In some cases, meat is cut into pieces and refrigerated and sold the next day in the Liaquat Market.
This has alarmed the area people who have expressed resentment over the extreme unhygienic conditions in the vicinity due to the presence of the abattoir.
Offal, bones and blood remain littered everywhere and the entire vicinity gives a foul smell. This has resulted in the spread of mosquitoes and the area people feared that it might lead to the spread of diseases.
Moreover, cows and buffaloes are brought in a large number either the same day or in case of holidays a day before their slaughter. This also adds to the filth in the area.
The animals are mostly slaughtered in the evening to hide the illegal business from the law-enforcers.
The residents said that some months ago, the abattoir had been closed temporarily but later it was reopened after they greased the palms of the local police.
Sources said that even diseased animals, including calves, were slaughtered in the abattoir and sold in the nearby markets. About a dozen vehicles remain parked on a cattle-pen near the Casino Cinema to carry meat to the nearby markets.
The staff of the vehicles indulge in playing cassettes and occupy a major portion of roads, disturbing the residents and infringing on their privacy.
The area people have urged the Malir Town Nazim to take notice of the complaints and carry out a raid on the abattoir to save the citizens from falling prey to diseases.
A resident claimed that the presence of the abattoir was in the knowledge of the area officials, but they have kept their eyes shut and were not acting accordingly.
He blamed the city government’s inspectors for ignoring the illegal business, which is thriving in some other areas of Malir. The residents said that the town administration should ensure the sale of only stamped meat brought from the city government’s slaughterhouse in Landhi.
Meanwhile, the people have demanded of the city government to launch a special cleanliness drive, because garbage dumps are seen littered in the area, especially near the Mohammadi Market, Liaquat Market, etc.
They claimed that the same mafia was behind the sale of “saturated meat” at the Liaquat Market and people largely remain ignorant of the fact that the meat sold in the market was contaminated with dangerous bacteria due to the use of sub-soil water in the process.
