Cattle slaughter has come down at the Chennai Corporation slaughterhouse in Perambur after reports of restrictions imposed by the Central government.
Usually, over 350 heads of cattle are killed at the slaughterhouse every weekend, 200 heads of cattle on Wednesdays and 120 on other days. The number came down to less than 60 on Monday.
Just a few days after the ban on sale of cattle for slaughter at animal markets, representatives of the BJP met senior officials from the Chennai Corporation at Ripon Buildings on Monday and discussed various civic issues.
In the aftermath of the visit, officials of the Veterinary Department of Chennai Corporation have kept their fingers crossed, concerned about the fallout of any action by the civic body. However, Corporation Commissioner D. Karthikeyan denied that discussions related to slaughter of cattle were held on Monday.
BJP State vice-president Rajesh Kanna who met with the Corporation officials said they discussed only civic issues. “We did not have any discussions about the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017. But we are tracking the developments pertaining to the issue, as well as misleading information by political leaders,” said Mr. Kanna.
Chennai Corporation Health Officer N.A. Senthil Nathan said the civic body has not received any communication regarding the ban on cattle for slaughter. “We will not take any action unless we receive communication from the government,” he said.
Steep decline
Traders at the abattoir said the slaughter of cattle at the facility has reduced by 50%. “ Fresh heads of cattle have not reached the abattoir in the past few days. More than 500 traders and 25,000 persons depend on the slaughterhouse for livelihood,” said R. Aslam Khan, a trader. R. Ravi, a worker at the Perambur abattoir, said his family has been at work for four generations at the facility and the new rules had created scare among workers.
