A small slaughterhouse constructed at Sati Chaura, Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Jan. 24: Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has identified land for construction of an abattoir or slaughterhouse for big animals, for which high court has been pressing for more than two years now.

CMC in an affidavit filed in the high court said: “The land for slaughterhouse-cum-sale centre for big animals has been identified beside Mahanadi river at Brajabiharipur on the western fringe of the city.”

The corporation filed the affidavit on January 21 in pursuance of an order issued by the high court on December 12, 2010 to “explain the difficulties faced in construction of slaughter houses”.

“The land measuring 1 acre 50 decimals has been identified under Athagarh tehsil in CMC area where no habitation exists,” CMC secretary Ashutosh Samal said in his affidavit, while seeking approval of the high court “for applying for permissive possession of the land”.

The high court had on September 25, 2008 asked the district administration to provide land in Matagajpur and directed the CMC “to construct and complete the slaughterhouse for big animals over the land within a period of three months from the date of handing over of possession”.

Accordingly, one acre of land was provided for the purpose only a year later on October 4, 2009 at Kantilo in Matagajpur area on the eastern fringe of the city.

But the civic admini stration had to abandon the proposal of slaugh terhouse for big animals at the allocated land owing to stiff opposition from the people of the area on grounds of proximity to residential area with concentration of several temples and fear it would harm the religious sanctity and economic sustainability of the local community.

The high court, while directing for construction of a slaughterhouse for big animals, had also ordered for smaller slaughterhouses at Gandhipalli, Matamatha, Khannagar and Sati Chaura areas of the city.

The affidavit said: “The slaughterhouse at Khannagar and Gandhipalli have become operational. Similarly, the slaughterhouse at Sati Chaura has been constructed.”