52 Chennai meat shops sealed for lockdown breach

According to Chennai Corporation data, as much as 425 kg of meat was seized from the sealed shops. “Of the 15 zones of the civic body, 10 meat shops were sealed in Alandur zone and eight shops in Adyar zone. The officials also sealed six shops each in Royapuram and Tondiarpet zones,” a Chennai Corporation official said.

The lock and seal action has been taken after a civic body order instructing the meat shop owners to ensure social distancing. Also, directions were already given to the field officials to seal the meat shops if they found the shops are selling the meat butchered outside the Chennai Corporation slaughter houses.

As per an order from Chennai Corporation Commissioner G Prakash, the sealed shops would remain close for three months. The shops could only be opened after receiving de-sealing orders from the civic body.

Unlike the previous week, when there was a huge crowd at the meat shops violating social distancing norms, most of the meat shops on Sunday had lesser crowds.

“Apart from the virus fear, meat shop owners have increased the costs and one kg of mutton is now charged Rs 1,000. Before the disease outbreak, the rate of one kg mutton was Rs 740 only. We stopped buying meat on Sundays as we are in home throughout the week,” Sukumar, a resident of Choolaimedu, said.

Meanwhile, the city’s largest slaughter house in Perambur has been closed unofficially and the butchers in the slaughter house have stopped working citing the crowd. On weekends, more than 4,000 goats would be butchered at the Perambur slaughter house.

“Due to the lack of certified meat owing to the closure of the slaughter house, several meat shop owners resorted to unauthorised butchering,” another official said.

Meanwhile, social distancing went for a complete toss at the Kasimedu fishing harbour where crowds thronged the wholesale market with least concern for social distancing and maintaining safe distance. Sources said that even little children were found loitering the market with their parents without taking safety precautions.