Jammu Kashmir
Rotten Meat Sale Sparks Uproar in J&K Assembly; MLAs Demand Crackdown, Govt Flags Staff Shortage
The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Friday witnessed heated exchanges over the alleged sale of rotten and unsafe meat, with several legislators pressing for strict enforcement, preventive action and exemplary punishment against those involved.
The issue was raised through Assembly Question Nos. 10, 94, 569 and 757 by MLAs Mubarak Gul, Mir Saifullah, Pirzada Farooq Ahmad Shah and Hasnain Masoodi under the subject “Food Adulteration and Sale of Rotten Meat.”
During the discussion, members voiced serious concern over public health risks, linking the consumption of contaminated food to rising disease outbreaks and even increasing cancer cases. They called for immediate and concrete measures to curb the illegal trade.
Mubarak Gul urged the government to identify those involved in selling rotten meat and attach their properties to send a strong deterrent message.
Pirzada Farooq Ahmad Shah described the issue as “worse than drugs” and demanded the establishment of a dedicated enforcement wing at Lakhanpur to check the inflow of unsafe meat. He also called for setting up slaughterhouses in every Municipal Committee and sought a half-hour discussion in the House to deliberate the matter in detail.
The government, while responding to the concerns, acknowledged certain enforcement challenges, including shortage of staff, even as it maintained that action is being taken under existing laws.
