Ensure action against illegal slaughterhouses, HC to Maharashtra govt
Mumbai, Oct 9: The Bombay High Court Tuesday said authorities cannot prevent slaughtering of animals in totality, but they can ensure action is taken against shops slaughtering illegally and without license.
A division bench headed by Justice S C Dharmadhikari said it is for the Maharashtra government to ensure there is no breach of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Food Safety and Standards Act.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by one Ajay Marathe raising concerns over illegal abattoirs operating across the city.
The petition sought directions to the municipal corporations for following an ethical procedure like rendering the animals unconscious before slaughtering them.
"The authorities cannot prevent slaughter completely because ultimately it is food but they (authorities) can take action if there is any violation of the concerned acts or if any shop is slaughtering without licence," Justice Dharmadhikari said.
Stating that the matter concerns public health and safety, the court said it is for the state government to ensure that provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Food Safety and Standards Act are not breached.
"We are concerned about public health and safety. Those persons who consume (meat) should not suffer. There are several places in the city where we see slaughter shops throwing carcasses and garbage on the roads and people are not even able to walk near those places," Justice Dharmadhikari said.
"This is something that should not be tolerated," he added.
BMC counsel Anil Sakhare told the court that the civic body has been conducting periodical checks on such erring shops.
"From March 2014 to 2017, around 700 FIRs have been lodged against shops carrying out slaughter without requisite permission," he said.
The bench directed the BMC to file an affidavit on this and also asked the state government to take up the issue with every municipal corporation and district council.
The petition will be next heard on November 2.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
