Civic body sees red over illegal processing units

Jalpally: After nipping the illegal animal visceral organs processing units in the bud in Jalpally area, on City outskirts, the municipal authorities have decided to go whole hog against such unhealthy trades amid the densely populated area that also cause immense damage to the environment.

According to official sources, the authorities, after going into a huddle with senior officials of various departments, have come up with a comprehensive plan of action to deal with these polluting industries which, they said, are hazardous in nature and will pose a grave risk to human life, if not dealt with on time.

"As per the plan drawn by the officials, the authorities of different departments, such as Municipal Administration, Revenue and Pollution Control Board (PCB), will form a team to take on the illegal units that are contributing to air, surface and ground water pollution," the sources explained.

The municipal officials, anticipating an alarming threat to people's health, had carried out raids on the units at Shahjahan Colony on January 6. They even sealed a few units after finding them operating without proper permission and flouting the norms, thereby contributing to environmental damage.

Later, Jalpally Municipal Commissioner G P Kumar informed that the factories were running without proper permissions and found floating all rules to operate food-processing industries. During the raid, he said, it was found that some factories were packing animal waste in packets on which February 2021 has been mentioned as the manufacturing date.

The officials even found number of such units operating in a similar way flouting rules. They took serious note of the issue and decided to go whole hog against them after going into a huddle with senior officials of several line departments.

It is said that officials took cognisance of the issue only after repeated complaints started pouring in from the public off late. "There was a similar action in the past by the authorities, but no follow-up steps were initiated which helped the unscrupulous units which brazenly mushroomed in the Jalpally area.

These units used to process animal visceral organs without following the set procedures that too disguised in a densely populated area with un-metaled and bumpy roads. Obscured from the eyes of government agencies, the units are polluting the ambient environment," said a local resident on the request of anonymity.