Hyderabad: GHMC crack down on meat shops in Old City

Rajendranagar: To ensure that meat and chicken shops in the Old City fall in line, the GHMC has rolled out a campaign against businesses running unlawfully. Teams of officials, led by vets, inspected areas under the Charminar Zone to take on businesses running without proper licences and flouting rules, while selling meat.

According to officials, several teams were formed zone-wise to inspect butcher shops in circles. The whipping campaign from March 12 saw imposing a compounding fee of Rs.17,000, as several shops were found sans licences and selling meat without the regulatory authority seals.

On Tuesday, the third day of the campaign, officials visited Shastripuram and Mailardevpally in Rajendranagar besides Falaknuma and Moghalpura, in Charminar zone to check meat and chicken shops.

"We are urging meat and chicken shop-owners to do business with a sense of organised entrepreneurship as most were found running without licences, even the regulatory body stamps on meat. During the last three days several shop-owners were fined with compounding fees ranging from Rs,1,000 to Rs.2,500 for violating rules," informed Dr. P Sreeram Reddy, Veterinary Officer, circles.9, 10, and 11 under the Charminar zone.

Urging the shop-owners to secure proper licences before selling meat and having stamps of the authorised agency, the officials warned of stern action against flouting rules and putting lives of people in jeopardy.

During the last three days, he said, "we fined several butcher shops and collected compounding fee of Rs.17,000. The drive will continue till the month-end. The shop-owners should secure licences and perform business lawfully, lest they be booked for flouting rules," the official warned.

Surprisingly, the inspections by GHMC officials were well received by the local people who are unhappy with the butcher shops are maintained un-hygienically, besides ever-increasing prices.

"Several new butcher shops have come up in Shastripuram in circle.11,Rajendranagar. However, neither they are maintaining proper hygiene nor the prices in regulatory line. Some are operating with novice butchers having no knowledge of processing meat," rued Syed Shoukat Ali of Shastripuram.