SHWETA KAMAT
shweta@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: With there being no assured supply of animals for slaughter, the Goa government is considering the possibility of outsourcing the slaughter house of Goa Meat Complex Limited (GMCL) to a private firm. GMCL has moved a proposal for outsourcing the slaughter house, which has been shut since October 2014, to a company that deals in exports.
After wading in controversy for nearly four years now, GMCL has managed to get all the required permissions like licences from Factories and Boilers, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and consent to operate from Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), mandatory for the functioning of the abattoir. FSSAI and GSPCB have set certain conditions for the abattoir and GMCL is working on it.
However, what haunts GMCL is that there is no assured supply of animals. The slaughter house can handle 150 animals per day; but for the initial operation of the unit, at least 30 animals are required daily, which itself is doubtful.
Sources confirmed that GMCL has moved a proposal before the government to outsource the abattoir to an export-oriented company and this is under scrutiny and consideration. “There will be no financial liability on the government once it is outsourced. State will earn hefty revenue and the private firm will undertake slaughter for local consumption,” sources said.
Sources said it will be for the company to decide from where they get the animals for slaughter to meet the local traders’ demand. “The charges for local slaughter will be paid by the government. There will be no other financial liability with the State,” sources said.
The abattoir was put in operation provisionally on August 22 this year, on the occasion of Bakri Eid, with provisional licences. Deputy Speaker and BJP MLA Michael Lobo had earlier stated that the “so called cow protectors” are responsible for beef shortage in Goa and that the government has failed to act against them.
During a recent Board meeting, GMCL finalised Recruitment Rules (RR) and has approached the government for sanction of 55 additional technical staff, required to work as per the guidelines set by FSSAI and GSPCB. A total Rs 10 lakh additional liability for six months, is what government will have to shell out.
“If the abattoir is not functional, what is the point in recruiting so much staff? How will the liabilities be taken care of? With outsourcing, the issue does not come up,” sources said.
When contacted, Quraishi’s Meat Traders Association of Goa (QMTAG) said that while there is no beef shortage in the State, the beef that we consume is not fresh.
QMTAG president Manna Bepari said traders have been getting frozen beef from Karnataka to supply in the State. “We are getting an average of 20 tonnes of meat every day. The requirement of State is around 15-20 tonnes, so there is no shortage but what beef we consume is not fresh,” he said. Bepari said that the fresh beef could be available only if GMCL restarts.
