According to the DVO, most of the meat shops also have not fulfilled basic criteria required to operate a meat shop, making the products unhygienic for human consumption.
DVO Chief Bol Raj Acharya said his office and others engaged in market monitoring have launched a campaign to generate awareness about the importance of registering businesses.
“We have asked them to register their businesses at the Office of KMC within a week,” said Acharya. “We have also asked them to fulfill basic criteria required for operating a meat shop within 2 weeks of registering their businesses.”
As per the Slaughterhouse and Meat Inspection Act 1999, butcher shops should provide hygienic meat, display the meat in a glass box and store products in a deep fridge, among others. In addition, a slaughter house must be spread in at least 254.32 square meters of space and should have tile or marble flooring.
“Although all these criteria have not been fulfilled by large number of meat shops, we have not taken any action in the initial phase,” said Acharya. “But we wouldn´t hesitate to seal them if they do not heed our calls.”
As a part of regular market inspection, the team inspected four meat shops in Chhetrapati area on Saturday and instructed them to register their businesses and fulfill other basic criteria.
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