RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has decided to utilise four kanals adjacent to the army graveyard near Racecourse Park for the construction of an abattoir.

The RCB does not allow civilians to use the graveyard claiming a shortage of space there. It has also failed to expand the facility or develop a new graveyard for the civilian population in the cantonment area.

On the other hand, the civic body has selected the vacant four kanals near the graveyard for the construction of an abattoir.

In the fiscal year 2017-18, the RCB allocated Rs20 million for the construction of an abattoir to check illegal slaughtering of animals in streets and open places and provide hygienic meat to the residents.

Three-member committee inspects site and recommends start of work without delay

A senior official of the RCB told Dawn that the civic body had suggested the establishment of a slaughterhouse near the army graveyard and formed a three-member committee led by Vice President Malik Munir to inspect the site.

The committee approved the proposal and recommended starting the construction work without any delay. The official said there was a dire need to construct an abattoir in the cantonment area.

However, he said, it was mandatory for the civic body to get approval from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to launch the project. He said an abattoir cannot be constructed near a residential area, park or a graveyard as it would create environmental pollution.

An official of provincial EPA said the construction of a slaughterhouse near drains would be wastage of money and would not serve the purpose.

“The Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) constructed an abattoir on Railway Road adjacent to Leh Nullah without getting approval from the EPA and it created pollution in the nullah.”

He said butchers disposed of animal waste into the Leh Nullah further polluting the waterway. He said the abattoir should be constructed in the outskirts of the city where incinerators and other machinery could be installed to dispose of the animal waste properly.

It may be mentioned here that there is an abattoir for the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad at Sihala. It was constructed in 1966 by a Yugoslavian company, Beograd-Terazije.

The slaughterhouse spreads over 16 acres and consists of six cold storage rooms, one cold storage plant and a made-in-Germany boiler. But the facility has never been fully utilised.

When contacted, RCB spokesman Qaiser Mehmood confirmed to Dawn that the committee had recommended the site for the abattoir.

To a question, he said the proposal for the expansion of the army graveyard was under the consideration of the civic body. But, he added, the land branch of the RCB had suggested that the piece of land should not be utilised for the expansion of the graveyard as it was a long process to change the status of the vacant land.

After this, he said, the RCB committee decided to inspect the site to set up an abattoir there. He said the RCB already had allocated funds for the construction of the abattoir in the cantonment area.

In reply to another question, the spokesman said butchers in the cantonment area did not utilise the Sihala abattoir saying it was too far from the residential areas.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2018