Bengaluru sources have stated that large procession, dominated by saffron, was taken out on the streets of Harohalli on the outskirts of Bengaluru against the construction of an abattoir in the area. Though the area has seen protests on and off for years citing environmental concerns, this time it was led by Raghaveshwara Bharathi, seer of Ramachandrapura Mutt, known for his cow-protection zeal.
Meanwhile the daylong protest in the area on Friday saw him accompanied by several seers from other mutts. Mr. Raghaveshwara Bharathi said “Our protest is against the slaughterhouse as it poses a problem for the entire area. It is illegal as there are several loopholes in the project. Nobody here has given their approval. If the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) goes ahead with it, we will lay siege to the BBMP office; we are ready to go to court".
He added that he would oppose it “if there is a proposal to
establish a cow slaughterhouse anywhere”. The proposal to start an abattoir
here dates back to 1997, when environmentalist B. Krishna Bhat filed a Public
Interest Litigation petition in the High Court seeking relocation of
slaughterhouses on Tannery Road. In 2002, the High Court ordered that all
abattoirs should be shifted outside city limits. The government allotted 38
acres in Harohalli Industrial Area in 2009 for the purpose.
The BBMP entered into an agreement with Chennai-based Capri Meat House Pvt. Ltd. for a modern abattoir in 2012. Then in 2015, Harohalli residents held a week-long hunger strike against the abattoir. Last year, a PIL plea filed before the Supreme Court questioning the abattoir was dismissed on the grounds that it was premature to argue that it would pollute the area before it becomes operational.
