CAG criticises CMC, BMC over slaughterhouse mess

BHUBANESWAR, Odisha: The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) have been criticised in a recently released report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for failing to keep open slaughtering in check.

The CAG report for the year 2021 noted, “Indecisiveness of BMC and CMC authorities in tendering for operation and management of slaughterhouses rendered the premises of slaughterhouses unhygienic and led to illegal slaughtering of animals.”

Also, CMC hasn’t obtained the Consent for Establishment (CFE) and Consent for Operation (CFO) from the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) to make their abattoirs operational, and running a slaughterhouse without the approval of the SPCB means animals are being slaughtered illegally.

Apart from that, none of the slaughterhouses in the jurisdiction of both the ULBs has any working waste management or processing plants. The CAG report reads, “The liquid waste generated was allowed directly into the drainage system. The solid waste generated in the slaughterhouses and retail mutton, chicken, and fish shops is also mixed with solid waste and transported to landfill sites. The deep burial of carcasses and animals was not practiced by ULBs, instead they were disposed to the landfill.”

The report also mentions that BMC constructed a slaughterhouse at Gadakana in August 2017 for ₹7.02 crore, which was idle till January 2021 due to the non-finalisation of the operation and maintenance tender leading to blockage of funds. Similarly, the slaughterhouses constructed by CMC were in ruins due to non-maintenance. These dilapidated structures are creating environmental problems and disseminating foul smell in nearby areas.

The report further reads that the Deputy Commissioner for Sanitation in CMC accepted the audit comments in January 2021 and assured that further steps would be taken in the future to address the problem.