TURBAT has an estimated population of 79,200, according to the 1998 survey. People rely on a few butcher shops in the main market. However, there is no slaughterhouse for butchers in the city. Though there is an old slaughterhouse situated at some distance, it is not in use and has been badly damaged due to negligence. As far as the district’s livestock and municipal committee are concerned, they never bother to visit and check butcher shops.

Whenever they are asked why they are risking people’s lives they say they have no slaughterhouse and cannot check the animals to make sure they are healthy. There is no refrigeration in butchers’ shops to keep the meat fresh and fit for consumption. Some butchers even slaughter their animals in front of their shops, leaving the innards there and attracting thousands of flies that cover the meat.

Butchers have no proper shops that can meet hygiene standards. They have made shelters right in front of their shops near the road where every passing vehicle raises a cloud of dust that settles on the meat. This is happening in the heart of the city.

These butchers have been given a free hand to play with people’s lives. My request to the authorities concerned is that they should build a slaughterhouse or upgrade the old one and make sure only healthy animals are being slaughtered and that butchers are not using rusty knives and other cutting equipment that can pose a health risk.

SHER MUHAMMAD Turbat