Taking a cue from the ‘City Express’ campaign to ensure hygiene of slaughterhouses across the city, a petition was filed before the Kerala High Court on Wednesday seeking urgent steps to shift the Kaloor Slaughterhouse to some other safer place.
The ‘City Express’ report on the tug of war between the Kochi Corporation and District administration on the issue has also been produced as one of the exhibits.
The petition filed by the Thannirthada Samrakshana Samithi Kaloor sought a direction from the High Court to direct the Kochi Corporation not to discharge any filth or contaminated effluents into the Thevara-Perandoor Canal, directly or indirectly, from the slaughterhouse. Also the petition sought a direction to the Corporation to constitute a country boat squad with officials and workers round the clock to ensure that no solid or liquid waste is thrown into the canal.
The Corporation should also ensure that water flows to and fro through the TP Canal without any hindrance during low tide and high tide.
Adequate and sufficient measures should be taken to control the mosquito breeding and mosquito eradication on a war-footing, the petition pointed out.
The Samithi further demanded that the Kochi Corporation, Ernakulam District Collector, City Police Commissioner, Kerala State Pollution Control Board, Food Safety Commissioner and the Local Self Government Department should ensure a dignified life for the general public in and around the city as enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
It was pointed out that there are about 15,000 residential houses, many shops and other establishments in and around Kaloor.
“The slaughterhouse is operated in a most unscientific and unhygienic manner. Hundreds of animals are slaughtered daily in a brutal manner. There are no facilities attached to the slaughterhouse to handle the waste material and contaminated effluents produced. The waste is allowed to flow into the Thevara Perandoor Canal through the open NH Canal causing health issues,” the petition pointed out.