ISLAMABAD: The city managers have decided to expand and overhaul the Humak slaughterhouse owned by the Rawalpindi administration, through public-private partnership.

The CDA, a few days ago, had also written a letter to the Public Private Partnership (P3A). “We have written a letter to P3A for expansion and overhauling of the Humak/Sihala slaughterhouse,” said a deputy director of CDA.

The slaughterhouse is located in Islamabad but is being operated by Rawalpindi authorities and the Meat Board. Currently, butchers of Rawalpindi use this facility while their colleagues in Islamabad term it far away from the city and are not ready to go there.

Now, both the authorities want to transform the facility into a modern one so that it could be utilised by both cities. For this purpose, CDA will play a lead role, said sources and added that both Islamabad and Rawalpindi authorities had held a number of meetings on the issue and the last meeting was held on September 3.

Following the meeting, the CDA last week wrote a letter to P3A for executing the project through private partners. Sources said P3A will float a request for proposal for the project.

On the other hand, butchers in Islamabad had been opposing the slaughterhouse, demanding that for Islamabad a slaughterhouse should be constructed in I-11/4 on the already allotted plot. They had also filed a court case against the CDA for not setting up a slaughterhouse on the plot.

According to sources, on July 2 the CDA also requested the Rawalpindi commissioner for the possession of the slaughterhouse in Humak.

“It is recalled that the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Meat Board meeting was held on 25-01-2024 at CDA headquarters under the chairmanship of the CDA chairman. During the meeting, it was unanimously decided that the management/ownership of the slaughterhouse would be handed over to CDA. The meeting was also attended by then commissioner Rawalpindi Division and minutes of the meeting were circulated on 29-01-2024 (Jan 29),” read the letter.

Although the slaughterhouse falls within the limits of Islamabad, it is the property of the Rawalpindi administration while there is no slaughterhouse exclusively for butchers of Islamabad. For the past two decades, the CDA has failed to take any practical steps for the establishment of a slaughterhouse.

The civic agency had allotted a plot for the project in Sector H-9, which was later cancelled and a new plot was allotted in I-9 but that too was cancelled. Later, another plot was allotted which too was cancelled.

Eventually, the CDA allotted a plot in 1-11/4 for a slaughterhouse and Nespak was hired a few years ago as the project consultant. The proposed slaughterhouse in I-11 was supposed to have the capacity to slaughter 2,000 goats and 800 cows per day with a freezing room, cold storage, deboning area, packing room, dispatching area, area for keeping animals, inspection portion, administrative rooms, parking, a tubewell and waste treatment areas.

The CDA said Pakistan Environment Protection Agency had raised objections to the project in I-11. To this, All-Pakistan Jamiatul Quresh Meat Welfare Association filed a case against the CDA for the early launching of the slaughterhouse.

Speaking to Dawn, the president of the association, Khurshid Qureshi said that Sihala/Humak slaughterhouse was not ideal for butchers of Islamabad.

He alleged that the CDA had been using delaying tactics to avoid construction of the slaughterhouse.

“If the CDA and Rawalpindi administration upgraded the existing facility in Sihala, we will not go there due to the distance,” he said, adding that they would keep struggling for the new facility at I-11.

In the absence of a slaughterhouse in Islamabad, butchers have been slaughtering animals at their houses or in the open spaces without any certification.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2024