HC tells civic body to act on illegal abattoirs near airports

The Bombay High Court today asked the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) to act against illegal abattoirs and frame a garbage collection policy in the vicinity of domestic and international airports to check bird-hit incidents.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Datta Mane, a bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka asked the civic body to frame a clear cut garbage collection policy by March 31.
The High Court also asked the police and municipal authorities to take action against illegal abbatoirs or slaughter houses which have come up within 10 km radius of airports.
The PIL said that between 2002 and 2010, there have been 254 bird-hit incidents due to illegal slaughter houses attracting birds in the vicinity of airports.

If such illegal abattoirs are not shifted immediately, it would be difficult to control the bird menace, the PIL said, adding that the civic body has merely been charging fines from such illegal slaughter houses, but never impounded their licences.