According to the metropolis, an amount of more than 1 crore 19 lakh rupees has been spent so far. About 132 million allocated for the construction of slaughterhouses in the policy and program of the metropolis every year has been frozen.
What you should know
In the year 2066, the people of Biratnagar were very excited when the foundation stone was laid for the construction of a state-of-the-art animal slaughterhouse on the bank of Singhia river in Biratnagar-8 Madhumara. At that time, the plan laid by the then sub-metropolitan municipality was clear, to deliver the meat of Khasi, Goat, Chicken and Ranga to the consumers in a clean, safe and orderly manner.
The plan was successful in winning the hearts of the people with the understanding that a well-organized slaughterhouse is one of the criteria required to become a metropolis. However, even after a decade and a half, the construction of the slaughterhouse has not been completed. Instead, investment in slaughterhouses has been like pouring water on sand. Biratnagar has become a metropolis but the state-of-the-art slaughterhouse is still limited to paper.
Millions of investments, zero results
The foundation of the slaughterhouse was dug with the budget of 60 lakhs of the Animal Market Promotion Directorate and 38 lakhs of the then Biratnagar sub-metropolitan city. But since then, this plan has been mired in budget management and implementation failure.
So far, more than 1 crore 19 lakh rupees have been spent by the metropolis. About 13 million 2 million allocated for the construction of slaughterhouses in the policy and program of the metropolis every year has been frozen.
In 2074/075, the federal government provided 12 million rupees and the state government provided 3 million rupees. However, it was frozen because the work could not be done on time. In 2075/076, the state government allocated 30 million rupees and the metropolis allocated 50 million rupees, but even that amount could not be used.
A DPR worth around 32 million was prepared in 2079/080 to strengthen the dilapidated building. However, the metropolis alone could not raise that amount. According to Sujan Shrestha, the engineer of the metropolis, in the financial year 2081/082, the Ministry of Agriculture provided 1 crore. The metropolis invited the contract . One company signed a contract but did not come to sign the contract. "When he came, the deadline had already passed", Shrestha said, "Then the amount was also frozen."
Erroneous DPR stops the project
The Department of Animal Services has ordered to stop the construction work after technical errors were found in the preliminary detailed project report (DPR) prepared with the technical support of Hefer International.
According to Hiralal Yadav, head of the veterinary branch of the metropolis, the construction work was stopped due to errors in the old DPR. Now the new DPR has been approved. The construction will be started after the decision of the metropolis.
In the beginning, DPR was made with a plan to cut Ranga along with Khasi. However, after the strong opinion that Ranga and Khasi should not be cut at the same place, the DPR has been re-prepared to cut only Khasi.
The metropolis had planned to give concessions to farmers to raise khasi, buy the farmer's khasi, cut it in the slaughterhouse, package it and send it to the market for sale. However, Yadav, head of veterinary branch, says that the plan is incomplete as the slaughterhouse has not yet been built.
Since there is no state-of-the-art slaughterhouse, the consumers of Biratnagar are still forced to eat meat that does not meet the minimum health standards.
'We were happy that the slaughterhouse would be built,' Biratnagar-8 Jhakku Prasad Mishra, a resident of Ka, said, "However, he is starting to get fed up because it has not been built yet."
According to local Mohammad Hassan, the unfinished slaughterhouse structure is becoming a crime scene. This dilapidated slaughterhouse on the secluded banks of the Singhia river has become a breeding ground for drug addicts and various criminal activities. "From taking drugs, this place is becoming a place for those who do immoral activities", he said, "It is not a slaughterhouse but it has become like a place where crime is taught."
