In order to stop the functioning of illegal and unhygienic slaughterhouses in and around Bengaluru, the state government had announced Karnataka’s first modern and humane abattoir at Cheelanahalli near Sira in Tumakuru district. However, even five years since the announcement, the state-of-the-art abattoir is yet to see the light of the day due to lack of funds, according to the state government.
Though the work on the project, proposed by the Karnataka Sheep and Wool Development Corporation, began in 2017, electrification and procurement of machinery and equipment is yet to be completed. Local leaders revealed to DH that the work was delayed as the government could not allocate money for the procurement due to the pandemic-induced economic stress.
Documents accessed by DH from the corporation revealed that while electrification work is incomplete, the installation of machinery is pending. Work on setting up of a cold storage facility and air-conditioned transport vehicles have also been put on the back burner. C M Rajesh Gowda, MLA, Sira told DH, “The civil work was done just before the first wave of the pandemic. We may need another Rs 45 crore for installing the machinery. Previously, when I inquired with the minister, he expressed helplessness citing paucity of funds due to Covid.”
However, Prabhu Chauhan, Minister for Animal Husbandry said the government plans to complete it through a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
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Published 19 January 2022, 19:00 IST