PANAJI
After facing backlash for granting “Green Category” industry status to meat shops, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has now categorised these shops under “Red Category” requiring obtaining Consent to Operate under Water and Air Act.
The GSPCB was criticised for permitting animal slaughter in violation of the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act, 1960.
The Board during its meeting held in December, last year, approved to categorise chicken and mutton shops and centres under Green Category, after the effluent of waste water samples collected from some shops and calculated score index was within the green category norms. However, in June, this year they suspended the categorisation.
During a meeting held on October 7, the Board decided to categorise them under Red Category.
“The Member Secretary informed the members that consequent to the deliberations and decisions at the meeting regarding categorisation of chicken/ mutton shops/ Centres in the State of Goa as Green Category, all such units are now categorised as Red Category,” reads the minutes of the meeting.
The Board is now in process of issuing necessary directions to 19 units registered with it for re-categorisation of Red Category.
Following the Board decision in December, it received several representations from lawyers, Animal Welfare Board, People for Animal Policy Foundation and others.
In their submission, they pointed out that when the slaughter houses are categorised under “Red” industries, the slaughter of chicken and goat is permitted through green industry tagging.
The Board had earlier said that as per the guidelines of Central Pollution Control Board, cutting of birds is not categorised (i.e. red, orange, green), and hence the State Board initiated the exercise to categorise the same.
The GSPCB had also directed the shops that waste water should be disposed of in septic tanks or soak pits for individual units.
