Hyderabad: GHMC cracks down on unstamped meat sellers

Hyderabad: The veterinary wing of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has been cracking down on retail outlets selling unstamped meat and those not maintaining hygiene on their premises.

In order to provide hygienic and wholesome meat fit for human consumption, the GHMC maintains modern slaughterhouses at Amberpet, New Bhoiguda and has appealed to the public to buy only stamped meat from the GHMC slaughterhouses.

However, in the last 10 months, the veterinary wing of GHMC has fined Rs 10 lakh on outlets found selling unstamped meat, not maintaining hygiene and also those that were running without trade licence.

The civic body has appointed 10 officials for each of 30 circles in its limits and assigned the job of inspecting the meat-selling outlets and to check the quality of meat they were selling. In the last 10 months of inspection, the civic body had served notices to 139 outlets and booked cases on them by confiscating the meat besides imposing fine.

To control illegal slaughtering of animals and to ensure selling of hygienic meat by the retailers, the veterinary department is regularly carrying out raids and prosecuting the offenders, informed a GHMC official.

He further added that as a regular process, the veterinary officers were carrying out inspections throughout the city and issuing the notices to outlets found flouting norms and even confiscating the meat during inspection. During 2019-20, a total of 2,001 cases were registered against the outlets for flouting the norms.

Even to control the cattle menace, the veterinary wing has deployed a customised van in each circle to catch the roaming cattle and also penalising the owners for letting their cattle roam free on roads.