VISAKHAPATNAM: Unlike every year, Sankranti festival was quite unappetising for the meat-lovers of Port City, as most of them had to confine themselves to vegetarian food this time.
With ‘Kanuma’ falling on Friday and ‘Mukkanuma’ on Saturday (the third and final days of Sankranti), many non-vegetarians are all eagerly waiting for Sunday to gorge on their favourite masala-laced meat delicacies.
However, unauthorised slaughterhouses have propped up across the city, in view of the festival, causing concern among the health officials. According to the rule a veterinary doctor should examine and certify the animal as fit before they are slaughtered for human consumption. But on Kanuma day, hundreds of goats were butchered in the city without proper verification.
According to sources, as many as 6,000 goats were butchered and a good number of roosters sold at various markets across the city this year, as on Friday. Meanwhile, the meat prices had shot up by about 50 per cent with mutton being sold for Rs.480, country chicken for Rs.400-plus as against Rs.250 and broiler chicken for Rs.180 in view of Kanuma and Mukkanuma.
With a view to avoid transport charges and reach out to the customers directly, several meat traders from far off places and neighbouring districts of Vizianagaram and Srikakulam had opened makeshift shops to sell chicken and goats on the city outskirts of Pendurthi, Sontyam, Anandapuram, Kommadi, Adavivaram Junction, Tagarapuvalasa and Anandapuram. As a result, only 220 goats were slaughtered at the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) slaughter house in Hanumanthawaka.
“The market at Hanumanthawaka Junction will soon cease to exist and the slaughter house will be shifted shortly. Moreover, transportation charges and other expenditure are proving to be a burden for us. So, we opened makeshift stalls on the city outskirts to sell domesticated meat animals. On an average, a goat of 12-15-kg weight was sold for Rs.6,000,” said Karri Appala Swami of Sontyam.
“It is true that the number of goats slaughtered at the GVMC slaughter house has come down this year. Only 220 goats were slaughtered this time, which earned us a revenue of Rs.3,300,” said GVMC chief medical officer MS Raju.