Mumbai : Expecting the number of goats to be slaughtered during Eid-al-Adha, or Bakra Eid, to double this year, Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi, along with corporator Rais Shaikh, met Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta on Thursday asking for an upgrade of the Deonar slaughterhouse.
The Samajwadi Party is expecting that over 3.5 lakh goats, which is twice the number as compared to last year, will be sacrificed this year, since there is a ban on cow slaughter in the state. Shaikh said, “One bullock is sacrificed for seven people but one goat is sacrificed per person. As we cannot sacrifice bullocks anymore, each person will sacrifice more goats. This slaughterhouse is not equipped to handle such a huge demand.”
The Samajwadi Party has asked for BMC officers who are Muslims to get paid leave during the festival so that they can help out in Eid preparations at the Deonar slaughterhouse.
The SP has requested the BMC to provide sheltered slaughter spots or sheds for the monsoon, which have sufficient light and water available. They have also asked for the construction of sheds for the sale of sheep and goats, which takes place in the open at present. They have also asked for the construction of a canteen, toilets and bathrooms for tourists and for the repair of roads and drainage systems around the slaughterhouse.
The party has demanded that the broken compound wall of the slaughterhouse be repaired immediately and all preparations be completed 20 days before Bakra Eid, which falls on September 23 this year.
Shaikh said, “The Municipal Commissioner has been very positive about our demands and has agreed to fulfill them.”
