License to kill... Chicken

In a bid to reduce the number of illegal butcher shops across the city (4,000 at last count), BMC plans to make it easier for them to get 'cutting licences'

License to kill... Chicken

In a bid to reduce the number of illegal butcher shops across the city (4,000 at last count),u00a0BMC plans to make it easier for them to get 'cutting licences'

The chicken you buy from butcher shops across the city will soon carry the BMC's safety seal.

The civic body has acceded to chicken meat sellers' demands for a simpler licensing process as it feels it will be able to keep a tab on the hygiene conditions of the nearly 8,000 roadside shops, 4,000 of which are currently illegal.

A chicken looks on at the state of one of its former mates at a meat shop in Grant Road

The money nearly Rs 3.5 crore a year won't hurt either.

The Association of Chicken Shop Owners and Wholesalers had met Mayor Shraddha Jadhav asking for her help in getting mandatory 'cutting licenses' because of the current complicated process and myriad rules for getting them.

"The BMC requires a number of documents and expects us to follow some impractical rules which have made it impossible for us to obtain licences.

Shopkeepers are vulnerable because of this and police and BMC officials make it a point to collect money from the illegal shops every week. We wanted to put and end to this and wanted a simpler licensing process.

Thus, we approached the mayor to help us out," said Mohammad Ameen Faizal, president, Mahanagar Poultry Gahuk Va Kirkol Vyaapari Kalyankari Sangh.

"There are 15 norms of the 23 listed by the BMC which have to be followed by meat-selling shopkeepers.

The shop should not be near a coal manufacturing unit, a religious place, a parlour etc, which does not make sense as most of the shops are over 50 years old and even some religious places also illegal have come up in their area after them. Why, then, should owners of butcher shops shut shop?" he added.

Faizal said that the BMC has made it mandatory for all 8,000 shops to have temporary licences with a fortnight and proper ones in three months and has promised to see the paper work through within these deadlines.

BMC's Law and Revenue Committee Chairman Rajiv Chaugle said, "The demand is quite logical and would be for the betterment of all.

The Corporation will get revenue from the licenses, the shopkeepers will not be harassed by corrupt officials and the common man will get hygienic meat as our health officials will be able to keep a tab on the shops."

The civic body is expected to net additional revenue of Rs 3-3.5 crore a year after licences are issued to the illegal shops.

The licensing of illegal shops will also lead to the BMC netting nearly 3.5 crore in revenue

"We will also propose that an agency collects the waste generated from these shops to prevent diseases.

It will be ensured, through regular checks by health officials, that the meat is cut under sanitary conditions," added Chaugle.

A senior official from the BMC's Market department concurred. "The move is a logical one as many of the rules for the shops are 50-60 years old.
u00a0
They were valid in their time and need to be tweaked and toned down now," he said.

Mayor's take
Mayor Shraddha Jadhav said, "I have arranged a meeting with the additional municipal commissioner to discuss this further and implement some more points. The move will benefit both the shopkeepers and the common man. They will get their licences and we will get to keep a tab on the shop's hygiene conditions."

4 lakh
The approximate number of chickens that are brought to the city every day for sale in retail and wholesale markets