Mutton from Rajasthan, beef from Andhra seized

Following the seizure of unauthorised and unhealthy meat from the trains coming into Chennai. sources say that the corporation would crackdown on suppliers who sell such meat in the city . This comes after health officials seized around four tons of illegal mutton and one and a half tons of beef at the Central station here on Thursday.

Officials say that they have asked the railway officials to provide details about suppliers who were supposed to take delivery of the illegal meat. “They will provide us details in a day or two, after which we will initiate a crackdown on them. Notices will be issued,” said health officials.

The four tons of illegal mutton came from Rajasthan via the Jaipur Express at 10.30 am in the morning, while the 1.5 tons of beef came from Vijayawada through the Pinakini Express at 2 pm. The mutton was encased in 49 boxes and came in a slightly spoiled state. Similarly, the beef was transported without proper preservation equipment, lacking freezers. Veterinary officials ruled that they were not fit for consumption. The meat was destroyed after inspection.

The whole exercise was done in collaboration with railway officials for which five special squads were formed the previous night to check every train. Officials say that one kg of mutton can sell at a price as high as Rs 400. Four tonnes of mutton would roughly yield about Rs 14.5 lakh. “Since only corporation approved and stamped meat can be sold in the city, this will cause a huge loss to the government,” said corporation officials.

Last month, inspections within the city by the Chennai Corporation identified a number of illegal butcheries and about 200 kg of unstamped meat is being confiscated on a weekly basis, say officials. “The present crackdown on bulk meat would end such illegal trade,” they said.

Officials are also planning to conduct surprise inspections across eateries to check if the quality of the meat fulfills the required standards. Officials are also planning to conduct surprise inspections across eateries to check if the quality of the meat fulfills the required standards.