LAHORE: The government has decided to make four closed slaughterhouses functional in a bid to control illegal slaughtering of animals.

Butchers were also demanding the government restore slaughterhouses at Kot Kamboh/Sabzazar, Shahdara, Shalimar and Raiwind closed in 2012 to ensure animals’ slaughtering at the then newly-constructed automated slaughterhouse at Shahpur Kanjran.

The government had shifted Kot Kamboh/Bakar Mandi (cattle market) to Shahpur Kanjran so that the butchers could avail animal purchase and slaughtering facility at one place.

“The officials must launch a crackdown on animals’ slaughtering at unlawful abattoirs. Moreover, the Kot Kamboh/Sabzazar, Raiwind, Shahdara and Shalimar slaughterhouses must be made functional,” a press release quoted Deputy Commissioner Mudassir Riaz Malik as having said in a meeting here on Thursday.

The DC also sought a proposal to establish six more slaughterhouses in the city.

The meeting was also attended by the representatives of Lahore Butchers Association.

When these old slaughterhouses were closed in 2012, the butchers had held demonstrations against the move but the government didn’t accept their demands since it was of the view that the old facilities were causing issues of hygiene, environment and extortion.

Lahore City admin’s senior administrative officer/AC Shahid Mehboob said the decision to restore the old slaughterhouses was taken to cater to increasing demand of animal slaughtering.

“The city now houses around 15m people and consumption of meat had also increased a lot, demanding opening of more facilities for animal slaughtering,” he said and added that Shahpur Kanjran slaughterhouse would remain operative.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2020