Kathmandu, October 25:

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has formed a 13-member Slaughterhouse and Meat Inspection Act 2055 BS Implementation and Monitoring Committee headed by Dr Baburam

Gautam, head of the Public Health and Social Welfare Department of the KMC, to enforce the Slaughterhouse and Meat Inspection Act 2055 BS.

Representatives of the Animal Health Directorate, District Animal Health Office, Consumers Forum and Meat Entrepreneurs are members of the committee, while Dr Bodh Prasad Parajuli, chief of the Veterinary Public Health Office (VPHO), who had drafted directives for the effective implementation of the Act, is member-secretary of the committee. According to Dr Parajuli, the Department of Livestock Services has approved the directives.

The committee has issued a notice to abbattoirs to re-register their business within 35 days. “After November 4, we will begin inspection and monitoring of meat shops and abbattoirs,” Parajuli said.

Dr Gautam said, “We have begun enforcing the Act, which is a challenging job.” He said the committee, within a year, will try its best to maintain quality of meat products.

“Instead of building expensive slaughterhouses, we are thinking of managing several places for slaughtering animals,” he said, adding that the committee has also asked meat entrepreneurs to maintain minimum standards in three months, as stated by the KMC. Sub-committees, which include city police personnel, will help enforce the act once the 35-day deadline for re-registering the business and maintaining the standards elapse.

“The meeting of the committee, which will be held after Dashain holidays, will decide on all matters related to implementation of the Act,” Gautam said, adding that the committee will help meat entrepreneurs keep the slaughtering places hygienic.

Dr Parajuli said he has distributed the directives to all concerned offices in the districts. “All other municipalities will follow the Act if we can enforce it here in Kathmandu,” he said.