New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Tamil Nadu Government to improve the condition of 33 slaughterhouses in the State as per the suggestions of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) accepted by the Government.

A three-Judge Bench of Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Justices C.K. Thakker and R.V. Raveendran in its order referred to the State's affidavit and said the AWBI suggestions had been accepted and should be implemented within the time frame mentioned.

State's response

In its response, the State said the Government was determined to modernise the slaughterhouses before December 31, 2008. The inspection report of the slaughterhouses had been perused and the suggestions taken into consideration for speedy action.

It said municipal commissioners had been instructed to ensure compliance of the instructions regarding certification of animals before they were slaughtered, and of the carcass after slaughter by a veterinarian. Illegal slaughtering was an offence under the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act, 1920.

The municipal commissioners had been instructed to issue notice to all those who slaughtered animals in open areas adjacent to existing slaughterhouses.

Further inspection

The AWBI suggestions sought a direction to enforce the regulations of slaughtering. While accepting them, the State said the Board could carry out further inspection of existing as well as proposed slaughterhouses in the first week of April 2007.

Accordingly, the Bench asked the AWBI to inspect the slaughterhouses again and submit a report by April 10, 2007. The matter would be listed thereafter.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail