5000 Kg And Counting: Rotten Meat Seizure In Kashmir Highlights Lack Of Monitoring At Source

By Parvez ud Din

Srinagar: The recent seizure of a glut of rotten and unhygienic meat stock in Kashmir has highlighted the lack of a proper check-point at Lakhanpur, the gateway to the region.

The first consignment of 12 quintals of the rotten meat stock was seized by the Food Safety Department from a private firm in Zakura on Srinagar outskirts leading to an uproar among the Kashmiris, who have had a reputation of voracious meat consumers.

The subsequent major meat consignment seizures in HMT area of Srinagar and other places across the valley only exacerbated the outrage among the people prompting the authorities to scale up the operations amid an exponential dip in the footfall to the restaurants.

5000 KG Of Rotten Meat And Counting
So far, the Food Safety Department has seized over 50 quintals of such substandard meat stock, Assistant Commissioner Food Safety Kashmir Hilal Ahmed Mir told ETV Bharat. He said that FIRs have also been registered against those who dumped such stock on the roads, rivers or banks of Jhelum river to dodge legal action. He said that the licenses of both the private firms involved in the supply of the substandard meat stock have been canceled.

Concerns Around Halal Meat
The Food Safety Officer also highlighted the lack of manufacturing and expiry labeling on the frozen meat stock, which led to speculations on halal food in a Muslim majority Kashmir.

“The said frozen items were neither imported under the standard nor stored anywhere, which is completely illegal in the spirit of the Food Safety Act,” Hilal said.

Lack Of Check-point At Jammu Kashmir Gateway
Regarding the checking and testing of mutton imported from other states of the country at Lakhanpur, the gateway to the region, the Assistant Commissioner Food Safety Kashmir said that there was no official of the Food Safety Department deployed in the area.

“There is only a veterinary post there, which checks imported sheep and chicken, etc”.

Hilal said that the matter has been brought to the notice of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah while hoping for necessary action in this regard.

Read More:

1. Unsafe Imports? Govt 'Clueless' About Dressed Meat, Chicken Entry Into Jammu Kashmir
2. Rotten Meat Continues To Plague Kashmir Food Market As Govt Speeds Up Action