T’puram: The reopening of the corporation’s modern slaughterhouse at Kunnukuzhy is likely to reach a decisive stage on Monday, with the civic body conducting a test to ascertain whether the effluent treatment plant (ETP) installed at the facility is functioning properly.The test was decided at meetings held at the corporation secretary-level over the past two days, following prolonged differences between the operation and maintenance agency MR Farms and Kerala Electrical and Allied Engineering Company (KEL), which implemented the project. As part of the test, the corporation will bring around one lakh litres of water to the slaughterhouse and run it through the ETP to verify its functioning.The test is expected to settle the long-standing dispute over whether the treatment plant is operational and capable of handling the effluent generated by the slaughterhouse.“The slaughterhouse will be operational within a month after proper testing of ETP to take place on Monday. We will not let this facility idle for long,“ said corporation secretary Mohammed Shafi, .KEL has maintained that the equipment installed as part of the project has no functional defects and that the systems are working properly. MR Farms, however, has maintained that the ETP is not functioning as required. The disagreement between the two agencies has been one of the major reasons for the delay in making the slaughterhouse fully operational.Officials said the test would provide a practical assessment of the plant instead of relying solely on the claims of the two parties. If the ETP successfully treats the water during the test and no other major issues are identified, the corporation is expected to move ahead with the full-fledged operation of the slaughterhouse.If the test reveals defects or damage to the treatment system, corrective measures will have to be taken before the facility can be made operational. The corporation is also expected to examine what repairs or modifications are required based on the outcome of the test.The Kunnukuzhy slaughterhouse has remained caught in a prolonged cycle of delays despite the project having been inaugurated earlier. At the time of the inauguration, even the power connection to the facility had not been provided. The present civic administration subsequently facilitated the power connection through KSEB, removing one of the major hurdles before the facility.The project has also secured the required approval from the state pollution control board, paving way for its operation subject to compliance with the conditions stipulated by the board.However, the ETP issue subsequently emerged as the main stumbling block. With the facility unable to commence full-scale operations, the dispute between MR Farms and KEL further prolonged the uncertainty over its functioning.Built at an estimated cost of around Rs 15 crore, the modern abattoir is among the most advanced facilities of its kind in Kerala. The project was developed by the city corporation to replace outdated and unhygienic slaughtering practices that continued in various parts of the city after the closure of the old slaughterhouse over a decade ago due to pollution-related concerns.
