LAHORE, March 16: The City District Government Lahore’s failure to shift the largest slaughter house from Bakkar Mandi to non-residential area is multiplying health hazards for the residents of adjacent thickly-populated localities.

The CDGL’s plan to shift it to Shahpur Kanjran on Multan Road is also in the doldrums as no serious effort reportedly is being made to acquire land on the proposed site already purchased by the Punjab government some eight years ago.

Sources told Dawn on Thursday the Allama Iqbal Town nazim had written to the DCO and the local bodies secretary for taking steps to acquire the land but to no avail.

According to a CDGL’s recent study, the residents of Sabzazar, Kot Kamboh, Ittefaq Colony and Jhuggian Nagra are directly exposed to obnoxious smoke emitted from burning of low-grade fuel. It causes condensation of fat particles in the air which results in suffocation and also spreading various diseases.

Fat extracting process produces offensive odour and its pieces also invite insects and flies in abundance in these areas. During manual removal of undigested food from intense, a large quantity of dung is produced. Its dumping in the open fields of Bakkar Mandi causes obnoxious smell. The waste being generated from washing of intestine also causes blockage of sewers.

The study points out that at least six fat extracting, four blood processing and 18 intestine processing units are functioning near the slaughter house without any check.

It also has revealed that dead animals are being brought here from different parts of the city. A dead animal processing unit has been established in the adjoining locality where the skin of the animal is removed manually, then the body is cut into small pieces and subsequently boiled in the open.

The study has suggested that it should be shifted to the new site without any further delay. It must be ensured that no new housing scheme should be built within five kilometres of the proposed site. DCO Mian Ijaz was not available for comments.—Zulqernain Tahir