Srinagar, Aug 10: In response to a growing public health concern, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will chair an emergency meeting on Monday morning at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar to address the escalating crisis of adulterated meat being sold across Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources told Rising Kashmir that the high-level review meeting will focus on recent large-scale seizures of unsafe meat products in Srinagar and other districts. The Chief Minister is expected to examine how contaminated consignments are entering the Valley without proper checks and to push for the immediate tightening of inspection protocols.
“A zero-tolerance policy towards food safety violations is likely to be announced,” a senior official said, adding that the CM will call for accountability within regulatory departments.
Sources said that Abdullah will seek detailed reports on the current monitoring of the meat supply chain, gaps in border inspections, and coordination between food safety and enforcement agencies. The meeting is also expected to deliberate on market inspection practices and propose mechanisms to detect and destroy unsafe products before they reach consumers.
The urgency behind the meeting follows a week-long aggressive crackdown initiated by the Food Safety Department, Kashmir, after receiving credible information about the sale of adulterated meat. The drive was later joined by Food Minister Satish Sharma, who emphasized the government’s commitment to public health.
“The health of our citizens is non-negotiable. Any compromise on food safety will be dealt with firmly,” Sharma told reporters.
Over the past seven days, enforcement teams have uncovered and destroyed significant quantities of spoiled and contaminated meat. These included1,200 kg of rotten meat from a Srinagar storage facility, 2,500 kebabs prepared with unapproved food colours in Safakadal and Parimpora, and 150 kg of spoiled meatballs (Gushtaba).
Sources said that CM’s Monday meeting is expected to finalise a multi-pronged strategy, tightening cold chain checks, closing supply loopholes at entry points, scheduling surprise inspections, and fast-tracking prosecution of offenders.
They said that the Chief Minister will also push for real-time reporting systems to prevent adulterated consignments from slipping through regulatory cracks.
