KOCHI: The slaughterhouse in Kaloor is in a mess, with a dysfunctional biogas plant and without an effluent treatment plant. However it continues to function despite receiving several warnings and closure notices from the Pollution Control Board (PCB). The solution: a new slaughterhouse. To realise the same, the Kochi corporation has handed over the project to the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund (KIIFB), said health standing committee chairman T K Ashraf.
He said KIIFB needs technical approval from PCB and a no-objection certificate from the fire and rescue department to begin work on the Rs 12-crore project. The new slaughterhouse in Kaloor will incorporate modern facilities and technologies following PCB norms. “A detailed project report has been prepared. Tendering and other paperwork is expected to begin next month,” said Ashraf.
Earlier this month, the Pollution Control Board inspected the slaughterhouse. “A closure notice has been issued to the corporation based on the inspection. The High Court had issued an order giving three weeks to the authorities to rectify the violations pointed out by PCB. However, the inspection report says that nothing has been done yet,” said a PCB official. Blood from the slaughterhouse continues to be drained into the Thevara-Perandoor canal without any scientific treatment, the official added.
As the slaughterhouse caters to the whole of the city, shutting it down without providing an alternative location is a major concern.