Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 23: In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking closure of unregistered slaughter houses and meat shops in Jammu and Srinagar cities, Division Bench of the State High Court comprising Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Janak Raj Kotwal today issued notices to the Commissioner Secretaries of Health, Housing and Urban Development, Animal and Sheep Husbandry Departments, Chairman State Pollution Control Board, Divisional Commissioners and others returnable within six weeks.
In the PIL filed by an NGO namely Save Animal Value Environment (SAVE) through its Chairperson Devinder Kour Madaan alias Rumpy Madaan prayer has also been made for issuance of direction to the State Government to establish modern slaughter houses in both the capital cities that too outside the Municipal limits.
After hearing Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed with Advocates Suraj Singh and Supriya Chouhan, the Division Bench issued notices to the State functionaries returnable within 6 weeks and directed the registry to list this petition for further consideration on June 6, 2018.
It was submitted by Advocate Ahmed that State Pollution Control Board vide its RTI Reply No. SPCB/Estb/CO/RTI/2017-18/05/49 dated June 20, 2017, has admitted that as per revised classification of industries slaughter houses fall at S.No. 49 under Red Category for the purposes of consent of the Board.
“Though the slaughter houses in Srinagar and Jammu cities have the requisite consent from PCB but latest consent is missing and the slaughter houses at District Headquarters are running without permission and have not even applied for the consent with PCB”, the counsels for the PIL said, adding “the condition of two slaughter houses in Jammu City one at Gujjar Nagar and another at Dogra Hall is far from satisfactory and both the slaughter houses are functioning contrary to the norms/guidelines laid down by the Apex Court in its judgment in case titled “Laxmi Narayan Modi V/s Union of India and Ors”.
It was further stated that the blood oozing out of the slaughter houses is directly going into the public drains and the safeguards provided under Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 followed by the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India are being flouted with impunity.
Meanwhile, in a PIL seeking closure of 59 illegal/unregistered dairies in JMC limits, Division Bench of the State High Court comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar and Justice Sanjeev Kumar has directed Deputy Commissioner, Jammu to ensure that suitable land is identified for cattle pound and report in this regard be submitted before the next date of hearing. The DB also made it clear that no further time will be granted.
The Division Bench also approved the action plan submitted by the Jammu Municipal Corporation and directed the petitioner to give further suggestions on this report/action plan before the next date of hearing.
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