New Delhi, June 23, 2020: Even as the coronavirus pandemic rages, there are fears of another disease outbreak at the Tajpur and Haibowal dairy complexes as skinners, protesting against the fine imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), have gone on strike and refused to lift animal carcasses.
At least 70 carcasses, including those of buffalos, cows, oxen and calves, are lying at both dairy complexes and decomposing rapidly due to hot weather conditions.
According to dairy owners, the skinners stopped lifting carcasses on Saturday. If the carcasses were not removed from dairies, another epidemic would break out in the city.
Concerned over the situation, dairy owners met mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu on Monday over the issue.
President of the Tajpur Road Dairy Association DS Oberoi said that dead animals have been lying in the dairies since Friday. The problem will aggravate soon after carcasses will start decomposing. They would meet the deputy commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma and cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu to intervene in the matter.
The NGT had issued notices to skinners in March this year, following which they had stopped working in protest. However, following an assurance of mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu, they had again started lifting the carcasses according to the reports published in hindustantimes.com.
A skinner, Happy Kainth, said five families are involved in dumping carcasses in Ladhowal near the Sutlej. Following a complaint of a local, the NGT formed a committee. After the committee submitted a report, the NGT imposed a fine of Rs 2.28 crore on each family.
The NGT had also ordered them to stop dumping carcasses near the Sutlej as it led to water as well as air pollution.
Happy added, “As we have no resources to pay the fine, we stopped lifting carcasses from the city.”
“We usually lifted 40 to 50 carcasses daily from dairies and nearby villages and disposed of them at the carcass dumping ground. Now, we have been forced to stop lifting carcasses,” said Suraj.
Paramjit Singh Bobby, chairman, Haibowal Dairy Complex, said they are holding a meeting with skinners to resolve the issue to save the situation.
Mayor Sandhu said dairy farmers raised the issue with him on Monday.
“We would not allow people to cause any kind of pollution, but we cannot let the carcasses decompose in dairies. I have asked the MC to complete the carcass plant at Noorpur Bet, which is already under construction, as soon as possible,” said the mayor.
“I have also asked dairy owners and skinners to hold a meeting to resolve the issue. We will try to find a permanent solution of the problem later,” he added.
