Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 2: After 1,200 kilograms of rotten meat was seized here, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) today raised questions over the regulatory mechanism governing the entry and handling of such items into J&K.
In a statement issued here, KCCI said the “shocking discovery” triggered serious alarm, as the consumption of such contaminated meat-seized from Zakura Industrial Estate-could have led to widespread foodborne illnesses and even fatalities.
The meat was reportedly meant for distribution to hotels and restaurants across the Valley, KCCI said, adding that it finds it completely unacceptable that a unit dealing in perishable food items was allowed to operate from a textile-dedicated industrial estate.
“This raises serious questions about how such a facility was permitted in the first place, whether it had proper registration or clearance, and who is accountable for this glaring oversight.”
The Chamber has demanded immediate and exemplary action against the unit holder responsible for storing the rotten meat.
“It is critical that the authorities identify whether this was an isolated case of negligence or part of a larger unregulated supply chain that is slipping past inspection frameworks.”
The situation, KCCI said, reveals a dangerous gap in the regulatory and certification mechanisms governing the entry and handling of frozen meat in J&K.
“It is appalling that such a large consignment was able to enter the Valley without proper scrutiny, raising doubts about enforcement at major checkpoints like Lakhanpur.”
There, the apex trade body said, appears to be no functioning system to ensure that meat or similar high-risk perishables are examined, documented, and certified by competent authorities before being allowed into the region.
The Chamber has urged the administration to conduct a time-bound and transparent probe into this matter, to make the findings public, and to fix responsibility at every level.
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