The location of the proposed abattoir at Ramachak Bairiya landfill site on the outskirts of Patna. Telegraph picture

Patna, June 7: Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC), in its board meeting on June 1, decided that the only legal abattoir in the city would be constructed at Ramachak Bairiya landfill site. However, residents of neighbouring villages are seeing red over the proposed project.

“The government has nothing left to do other than target poor villagers. First they acquired our land to make a dump yard at our doorsteps. Now they want to cut cows here,” said Pushpa Kumari, the mukhiya of Bairia Kranpura panchayat.

The agitated village head added: “I believe abattoirs are not allowed to run around populated areas. Thousands of people stay within half-a-kilometer of the location identified for the proposed abattoir. We have already opposed the proposed solid waste-processing complex at Ramachak Bairiya. Rather than consider our views, they continue to dump garbage here everyday.

“I believe PMC still does not have a clearance from the Central Pollution Control Board to dump garbage or make a solid waste-processing complex over here,” said Pushpa.

A source in the civic body said five acres of land at survey number 3 at Ramachak village has been allotted for the construction of the abattoir.

This land is a part of the 85 acres of land earlier acquired by state government for a solid waste-processing complex at Ramachak Bairiya.

This abattoir would be made under a private-public partnership model at a cost of Rs 2,637.95 lakh. The Union food-processing department will contribute Rs 1,176.26 lakh, while the state government will provide Rs 95 lakh. Private investors will contribute Rs 716.69 lakh. Other aids amounting to Rs 650 lakh have also been granted.

Sources claimed that PMC has received the first instalment of Rs 109.72 lakh from the central government on March 27, 2009 for the construction of a modern abattoir in the city.

About the current status of the work on abattoir, PMC sources said no firm has been finalised for the work yet. The boundary wall of the proposed abattoir is being constructed at present. Sources said earlier there was an abattoir at Shahgunj but it was shut down in 2005. Illegal slaughterhouses continued to run at the area till 2009, when they were restricted following a public interest litigation in the Patna High Court.