Illegal slaughterhouses thrive in Chennai, eight cattle rescued

A few days ago, volunteers of People For Cattle in India (PFCI) along with police rescued eight cattle from an unlicensed slaughter house in Ponneri. The slaughter house has been shut now. 

“We raided the place after getting a tip-off from a resident. On entering we saw two dead carcasses on the floor with blood splashed all over. We noticed that the knife used to kill that animal was rusted. Needless to say, that the slaughterhouse was dirty. Also, there were puppies who were feeding on it,” says G Arun Prasanna of PFCI. 

“A genuine butcher house must get a consent from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. Also, a veterinarian doctor must examine the animal before and after the slaughter. But most of the time, the meat sellers run a backyard slaughter house that doesn’t follow any of the rules,” he said.

On questioning, the owner said that he has been running the business for the past 40 years. As per law, animal slaughter must happen only at the licensed slaughter houses. However, according to activists, there are many backyard slaughterhouses that openly flout rules. 

In 2013 PFCI filed a petition in the National Green Tribunal, stating that there around 1,700 illegal slaughter houses in the city, out of which 400 were shut.

Members of Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also recently raided a beef stall in Adambakkam. The owner was prosecuted under various sections of PCA Act. Another stall was raided in the same locality and two claves were rescued and the shop was later shut. 

“We often notice that animals brought for slaughtering are not fed well and kept in poor conditions, making them vulnerable to all kinds of diseases,” says Dr Sockalingam of SPCA. 

According to activists, in most of the cases, the following rules are being flouted: Slaughter House Rules, 2001, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, Tamil Nadu Animal Preservation Act, National Green Tribunal Act, IPC 428 & 429 and Food Safety & Standards Act. 

A senior official from the Tamil Nadu State Pollution Control Board says, “We have a team the monitors the slaughterhouses. Apart from that, if we receive any complains, we take strict actions.”