Five Months After Inauguration, Bogura's Costly Modern Slaughterhouse Still Shut as Animal Waste Torments Residents

A modern slaughterhouse built on the model of the developed world — with automated machinery able to slaughter and process 15 cattle and 30 goats or sheep per hour, slaughter performed according to Islamic Shariah, and arrangements for waste management and biogas production — has still not opened five months after its inauguration in Bogura, held back by a shortage of manpower.

As a result, the facility built at a cost of crores of taka lies unused. Meanwhile, environmental pollution is rising across Bogura city from animals being slaughtered and waste dumped at various places.

Animal waste dumped beside the Bogura-Naogaon regional highway in the Godarpara Bazar area is spreading a stench, tormenting local residents, passers-by and the buyers and sellers who come to the market.

Those concerned say that if the modern slaughterhouse were operating, hygienic meat supply could be ensured alongside proper management of animal waste. But operations have not begun because the necessary manpower, management system and involvement of traders have not been secured.

The modern slaughterhouse was built on 50 decimals of land in Joypurpara in Bogura city under the World Bank-funded Livestock and Dairy Development (LDDP) project. State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salahuddin Tuku inaugurated it on 17 May.

Meanwhile, local residents have long suffered from animal waste dumped in the Godarpara Bazar area. The stench also troubles the market's buyers, sellers and passers-by, and locals say children and school-going students in particular face difficulties moving through the area.

Local resident Abdul Malek said they have long lived in extreme suffering from the stench of animal waste. People passing along the road cannot bear the smell even for a short time, yet residents have to live in this environment day after day.

He said a modern slaughterhouse has been built in Joypurpara, and if animal slaughter and waste management were done there, Godarpara's environment would improve. Although the problem has been reported in various media, no effective solution has come. He wants the city corporation to take effective steps to remove the animal waste quickly and manage it properly.

Bogura woman entrepreneur Shyamoli Akter said everyone from restaurant traders to ordinary consumers would benefit if the modern slaughterhouse opened. In the conventional method of slaughter, hygiene rules are not always properly followed, raising concerns about environmental pollution as well as the health quality of the meat.

She said if the modern slaughterhouse operated, meat could be processed in compliance with hygiene rules. Many times, modern equipment and infrastructure are built with government funding but are ruined for lack of operation; she wants that not to happen in this case, and for activities to start quickly.

Bogura City Corporation Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Sayeed Ali said the corporation currently does not have the skilled manpower to operate the slaughterhouse built with modern technology. For that reason, it has been decided to operate it through a third party.

He said the necessary conditions for operating the slaughterhouse are being prepared and a tender will be called soon. Contact is also being made with institutions experienced in operating such facilities. Their aim is to open the slaughterhouse as soon as possible. The way animals are now slaughtered and meat sold in open places in the city is not hygienic; the goal is to deliver safe and healthy meat to city residents through the modern slaughterhouse, and at the initial stage, making it operational matters more than profit.

The official added that, with the help of the Department of Livestock Services, a list of the city's butchers and meat traders is being prepared. There is also a plan to give them necessary incentives to involve them in the new system, and arranging chiller vans to avoid meat transport problems is being considered. Once the slaughterhouse opens, he said, employment opportunities will be created not only in animal slaughter but also in meat processing, transport and related work.

On the halal method and biogas, Bogura district Department of Livestock Services Deputy Director Dr Kazi Ashraful Islam said the idea that animals will be slaughtered by machine in the modern slaughterhouse is not correct. Animals will be slaughtered there by trained persons according to Islamic Shariah; modern machinery will be used in several subsequent stages to process the meat. In the conventional method, meat is hung for a long time after slaughter before being sold, which can create health risks; the modern slaughterhouse will allow health checks before slaughter, verification of fitness for slaughter, and assurance of meat safety.

He further said the facility built under the LDDP project has already been handed over to the city corporation. The institution given the responsibility of operating it will be provided necessary technical training, and the livestock department will oversee health checks of animals before slaughter and whether the meat is safe. There is also a plan to produce biogas by processing animal dung at the slaughterhouse, which could bring positive change to waste management alongside producing renewable energy. According to the department, there are about 492 butchers in Bogura city, and there is a plan to train them and familiarise them with modern methods. Everyone now waits for the tender and third-party selection process to end with the slaughterhouse actually opening.