Thoothukudi Corporation is planning to develop a centralised slaughterhouse to prevent dumping of slaughter waste in Puckle canal and to streamline and regulate slaughtering services at a single location.

The city has slaughter houses at three locations such near the new bus stand, S.S. Pillai Market and VO.C. Market. These facilities currently serve 222 registered meat shops across the city. Of these registered shops, the south zone has the highest number of shops with 71, followed by east zone with 66, west zone with 55 and north zone with 30 meat shops.

According to sources from Thoothukudi Corporation, goats are currently brought to these slaughterhouses, where they are entered into records by Corporation staff, approved and taken back to shops for slaughter. This practice has led to dumping of slaughter waste into the Puckle canal.

At the same time ensuring compliance has become a challenge for officials, as hotel owners sometimes prefer to source meat from villages bordering Thoothukudi city, instead of approved supply from slaughterhouses within the city.

According to Thoothukudi Corporation Mayor Jegan Periyasamy, the Corporation cannot prevent meats from neighbouring villages entering into the city, as such controls are governed by state-wide policy decisions. He emphasised that any effective regulation in this regard would require a uniform framework implemented across the stated rather than isolated actions.

Acknowledging the issue of slaughter waste being dumped into Puckle canal, he stated that a centralised slaughter house has been planned to develop in the city, accessible from all four zones, to curb the menace.

He further noted that periodic inspections were being conducted by corporation officials regarding the quality of meat used for sale, and that additional measures would be strengthened.