A meat shop in the state capital. Telegraph picture

Ranchi, May 20: Illegal slaughterhouses on roadsides are common but mutton, chicken and fish shops operating in residential areas are causing hygiene problems to residents.

Despite receiving complaints the Ranchi Municipal Corporation is taking no action. Several such shops could be spotted in Kanta Toli, Burdwan Compound, Harmu Housing Colony, Bariatu and Church Road.

“I have requested the butcher in front of my house to shift his shop to another location several times. But he doesn’t seem to care,” said Ramesh Mukherjee, a resident of Burdwan Compound.

It has been five years since the slaughterhouse has come up in front of Mukherjee’s house. Residents are seen keeping windows shut at all times for lack of fresh air.

At Kanta Toli and the Harmu Housing Colony the problem is even more severe as the majority of residents are vegetarians.

Ironically, though the matter has been reported to the RMC and requests have been made to relocate the shops, they have fallen on deaf ears.

“I requested RMC authorities to shift the mutton and fish shops located in front of my house five times. Now, I have lost faith even in the administration, that has done little to solve our problems,” said Rakesh Mishra (name changed on request), a resident of Kanta Toli. Mishra’s family is a vegetarian and has to bear the odour of slaughterhouses round the year.

According to RMC norms, no slaughterhouse can function without a proper licence, which is issued by the civic body. RMC officials said they do not issue licences to butchers who do not have a proper place for setting up their shops.

“If any shop has come up in front of a residential house, it is illegal. We would surely take action against them if the residents make complaints with us,” said RMC administrator Vinay Kumar Choubey.

RMC officials, meanwhile, accepted that there were several illegal slaughterhouses on roadsides, but they were ignorant about such shops in residential areas.

Though the RMC has a longstanding plan to construct state-of-the-art slaughterhouses in specific locations across the city, it is yet to become a reality.

“We have submitted the proposal to the state urban development department, which would pass it to the Centre for funds under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. Till we receive the funds, the plan to construct slaughter houses would remain a dream,” Choubey said.