Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Aug 8: Reassuring people that no one will be allowed to sell adulterated, rotten meat and dressed chicken in Jammu and Kashmir, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Satish Sharma on Friday said that a massive crackdown has been launched to identify and nail the culprits running this racket in the region.
Sharma said, “Samples will be taken from every food outlet from five star hotels to a roadside eatery and the people involved in flooding markets with adulterated items won’t be spared.”
He said, “What we have seen in the past one or two days is that there are some people—whether they are suppliers or hoteliers, strict action will be taken against them. And whether they are manufacturers, they will face the consequences of their actions.”
Sharma said that a high-level team is being formed to devise a comprehensive strategy aimed at ensuring there is no compromise in tackling the (rotten meat) issue.
Sharma said, “Just yesterday, we had a meeting with the Health Minister and the Agriculture Minister; we took feedback from some people in the poultry sector and from the food department as well. Let me tell you, whoever is found to be involved, wherever they are, they will not be spared.”
Pertinently, over the past week, Food Safety Department officials have raided various locations across Kashmir, recovering huge quantities of harmful and unfit-for-consumption meat.
Just two days ago in Srinagar, officials seized similar unfit chicken meat. Traders from whom the meat was recovered claimed that the spoilage was due to inadequate cold storage, not the quality of the product itself.
However, authorities have questioned how such meat could possibly remain safe without proper refrigeration, emphasizing the health risks associated with consuming improperly stored meat.
Meanwhile, in a related development, a large quantity of foul-smelling and rotten rice was seized from a Food Corporation of India (FCI) warehouse in the Sumbal area of Bandipora district.
Reports indicate that the rice had been transported from Punjab to the Kashmir Valley.
Food and Supplies Minister Satish Sharma said that some items had reached Food Corporation of India (FCI) warehouses, but had not yet entered the Public Distribution System (PDS). “Secondly, a team checks at least three times, and if something is found to be spoiled, it is returned. Right now, it has been spoiled in transit, and there is an investigation into how this happened. But so far, it has not been distributed further, and strict action is being taken in this case as well, with full severity. Wherever anything is found. Whether it is coming from Punjab or elsewhere this is our staple diet, and we want quality.”
