KARACHI, Oct 5: Chinese investors have shown interest in the establishment of mechanical slaughter houses and offered their assistance for the revival of an abattoir at Cattle Colony, Landhi, which has been lying closed for the last 36 years.

An official of the city government told Online that a group of Chinese investors called on City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal at his office last week. The delegation had expressed their interest in different sectors, including agriculture, livestock production, and animal health programme.

On the directives of the city nazim, the agriculture department has arranged a visit of the foreign investors to Cattle Colony on Oct 11 for the physical inspection of the abattoir, the official said.

He said the abattoir had been lying closed for 36 years due to religious reservations over the method of slaughtering.

The administration of the defunct Karachi Metroplolitan Corporation had constructed the well-equipped Landhi abattoir at a cost of Rs30 million in 1970. The machinery had been imported from Yugoslavia while all facilities, including machinery, slaughter house, skin centre, blood processing unit and cold storage were provided there, the official said.

Ironically, the millions worth abattoir could function only for one or two days as the KMC administration was compelled to close it due to pressure of religious circles, which raised reservations over mechanical chopping of animal's neck and termed it non-Islamic.

He said the imported machinery had been badly affected by rust, but the building’s condition was needed a little renovation work.

Currently, "the butchers are slaughtering animals at a makeshift slaughter house which was built after the closure of the abattoir.

The existing slaughter house is spread over only 4,000 square yards, is without any proper facilities and is causing supply of unhygienic meat to the citizens.

About 1,200 cows and buffalos, and 4,000 goats and sheep are being slaughtered there daily, the official said.

He said the project would be awarded to the interested company on a build-operate and transfer basis. To resolve the religious objections, he said the slaughtering method would be adopted used in many other Islamic countries where the animal's neck is cut manually and the remaining procedure is operated mechanically, he maintained. — Online