SC irked over govt response on disposal norms of animal waste

The Supreme Court today came down heavily on the Centre for inappropriate response to its query whether any change was needed in the standards laid down for disposal of animal wastes and ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection of meat animals.
The bench was also irked on the Centre's reply on the question as to whether the states have set up committees to oversee the functioning of slaughter houses and whether any meeting of such panels have taken place or not.
"What is this? You say that the expert committee is expected to meet. This would not do. Sorry sir," a bench of justices Madan B Lokur and U U Lalit said while expressing displeasure over the response of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

"You (Centre) pay the cost. Rs 5,000 for the first (response) and another Rs 5,000 for the second,"the bench said asking the Ministry to file another affidavit in the case.
The bench has been hearing PILs filed by NGO Common Cause and People For Ethical Treatment of Animals (PRTA) in 2001 and 2004 respectively.
Common Cause, in its plea, had sought enforcement of standards laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards in IS 8895:1978 regarding the disposal of animal wastes and slurry and IS 1982:1971 regarding ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection of meat animals.

PETA, in its 2004 PIL, had raised issues relating to slaughter houses across the country.

The bench, in February this year, had asked the Secretary of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to inform senior lawyer K Radhakrishnan as to whether the standards that have been laid down require "any review or update and/or modification due to the passage of time."
Prior to this, the court had ordered setting up of state committees for overseeing the functioning of the slaughter houses and later, it nominated the Secretary of Ministry of Urban Development as the nodal officer for co-ordinating with state committees and obtain information from them.