Hyderabad: Health inspectors from the Malkajgiri division of the GHMC imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 on the restaurant Green Bawarchi restaurant in Mirjalguda for storing decomposed meat and for the unhygienic condition of the premises. The officers also told Swagath Grand Hotel in Malkajgiri to procure stamped meat only from the Bhoiguda slaughterhouse.
The owner of Ghani mutton shop will also be prosecuted under section 548, 596 of the GHMC Act 1955 for procuring meat from an illegal source. During a surprise raid at Green Bawarchi, civic officials found decomposed meat, stored for over 10 days, being used in the biryani. The meat storage area too was dirty.
“The meat was smelling and unhygienic. Instead of disposing of the decomposed stock, the management was using the meat in the biryani. It was stored for over 10-15 days, when the maximum duration should be one week,” said deputy commissioner, Malkajgiri, Mohan Reddy. He said the kitchen and storage areas were in bad shape and the fine imposed was for serving spoilt meat.
“At Swagath Grand, we found the slaughter house seal and asked them to continue purchasing from approved slaughterers,” he said. The Ghani mutton shop in Malkajgiri was buying meant from private sources, without the GHMC seal. It is mandatory for butchers to purchase meat from slaughter houses only.
Many Hyderabad meat shops selling stale meat
Poultry and meat sold in shops in the city should be carefully checked by customers before buying as its provenance is often unknown. Many restaurants buy their meat from these shops rather than from GHMC approved slaughterhouses.
If the shop has not been able to sell its stock to hotels, it is put up for sale in the shop. This is not fresh meat, but could be more than 10 to 15 days old.
Restaurants find it time consuming to buy meat from slaughterhouses, so they tie up with the shops for daily or weekly supply. There is no certainty that these shops buy the meat from GHMC approved outlets. Many have been booked for procuring meat from private sources.
Food inspector Srinivas Reddy of the GHMC’s Malkajgiri division said, “The meat store owner should have a receipt from the Chengicherla, Amberpet or Bhoiguda slaughterhouses. Usua-lly, the seal mark can be seen on any of the legs of the carcass. In case of doubt, the buyer should ask for the receipt from the slaughterhouse.”
