Muhammad Mukaram
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Dec: 23: Taking cognizance of a report in Early Times, the Block Development Officer BDO, along with a team of officers cleared the premises and sealed the building of Panchayat Ghar which had been rented out by the Rural Development Department and Panchayati Raj to a chicken farmer in Dooru area of Anantnag against a paltry amount of Rs 150 a month.
On December 7 Early Times carried a report titled "Panchayat Ghar rented out to chicken farm in south Kashmir". The building had been given to one Maqsood Ahmad Beigh, an employee of the RDD on rent 'after auctioning by the Panchayat Ghar itself @ Rs 150 per month'.
Interestingly, inhabitants of a small town Hillar, Shahbad Dooru of Anantnag district had a sigh of relief when the district administration evacuated a chicken farm established in a Panchayat Ghar adjacent to a medical dispensary after the ET report.
However, the chicken farm owner was paying a meagre amount of Rs 150 to panchayat as monthly rental.
The place had been spreading stench and medical experts had warned that the farm could become the breeding ground for the spreading diseases such as flu. According to norms, a bird farm cannot be permitted to function in a residential areas, and according to health experts it cannot be in wildest of dreams be allowed in the neighborhood of a medical unit.
As per government guidelines, chicken farms are banned from being set up in the residential areas owing to various hygiene issues.
Block Development Officer, Showkat Ahmad Bhat told Early Times that the place was becoming a problem for people and owing to winter when influenza issues are at rise authorities decided to clear the building.
"People's concern was a priority and we cannot compromise on hygiene issues. So we took the action and vacated the building," Bhat said. |
