The slaughter of sacrificial animals will be limited to specially designated spaces and city corporation slaughterhouses from next Eid-ul-Azha, officials said, ending the era of sacrifices being performed in city thoroughfares and public spaces.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation authorities said the decision to limit the sites for sacrifice was motivated by public hygiene considerations. Every year animal waste and blood pollute the streets and playgrounds of Dhaka after the holiday, leaving a lingering stench.
City corporation officials of both Dhaka North and Dhaka South told the Dhaka Tribune that sophisticated slaughtering equipment would be imported from abroad and be put to use at city corporation abattoirs and designated spaces.
DSCC high officials held a meeting Thursday with DSCC Chief Waste Management Officer Captain Md Rakib Uddin in the chair and Administrator Mohammad Ebrahim Hossain Khan and others attending, to discuss plans for the future.
“The meeting decided that a six-member team lead by the DSCC administrator will visit Bengal Meat Processing Industries at Kashinathpur in Pabna, and take further steps after visiting the modern meat processing factory,” said Rakib Uddin.
“Another team will visit and observe the sophisticated methods of cattle sacrifice in the countries of the middle east,” he added.
“Using modern techniques, the slaughtering and processing of each animal should take 15 to 20 minutes. Residents will take tokens ahead of Eid and queue up for the slaughter of their sacrificial animals. We hope to simplify the process,” Rakib Uddin, the chief waste management officer, said.
DNCC Chief Estate Officer Aminul Islam said Dhaka North officials had also decided to arrange for the sophisticated new method of slaughter to be put in place starting next Eid-ul-Azha.
The DSCC runs two slaughterhouses – one in Hazaribagh and another in Kaptan Bazar, while the DNCC operates three at Mohammadpur, Mirpur 11 and Gulshan kitchen market.
A visit to the city-owned abattoirs revealed that they were in bad shape, with potholed floors, dilapidated walls and rickety, ageing structures that had not been refurbished in a very long time.
DSCC and DNCC officials admitted to the poor condition and shortage of slaughterhouses in the city, and said the issue would be addressed.
