Shifting of poultry shops from Chitral Bazar demanded

Gul Hamaad Farooqi 

CHITRAL:  Due to the stench emanating from meat and poultry shops in Chitral Bazaar, passersby and tourists are facing a lot of difficulties.  Medical experts say  there is a risk of zoonotic diseases due to the presence of these shops near food stalls. 

Chitral is a beautiful touristic spot where people from all over the world come to watch Kalash festivals, Shandur polo festival, Broghul festival and Qaqlasht festival every year. But somethings seem like a bad stain on the beauty of Chitral. Butchers and chicken shops are open everywhere in the Bazar. On one hand, passersby and tourists are quite bothered by the stench and smell coming out of these shops and on the other it is also a threat to human health.

According to medical experts, there are hundreds of diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans and from humans to animals and they are called zoonotic diseases. 

ChitralToday team conducted a survey in this regard and talked to various people and experts to know their opinion. Most of passersby tourists and shopkeepers said they cannot breathe because of the bad smell from these poultry shops and their vehicles.  

Serving and former district health officers Dr. Fayaz Rumi, Dr. Israrullah and Dr. Nisarullah confirmed the dangers of diseases caused by these chickens. These medical experts said that more than three hundreds Zonotic diseases can transmit from animals to humans and from humans to animals.  

According to the health experts, anything we eat without boiling or cooking like fruits, salads, bakery, sweets which are near poultry and meat shops can cause zoonotic diseases. 

According to Shabbir Ahmed, former president of the traders’ union Chitral, a former deputy commissioner also had regular correspondence with him that these shops should be moved out of the market. He added that the vehicles in which chickens were brought from the lower districts were often open and due to the wind their feathers and smell spread throughout the market.

Besides, the waste of the chickens which are also taken from here to Peshawar in open vehicles also cased nuisance for public. These wastage carrying in an open Datsun which smells bad. It is necessary to cover them with a tarpaulin etc. so that the smell and dirt do not spread out. He said when he was the president of the trade union, vehicles carrying chickens and their waste were allowed in the market after evening to protect the public from its stench and harmful effects. 

Deputy Commissioner Chitral Anwarul Haq is also willing to shift these shops out of the market on the demand of the public but according to him cooperation of shopkeepers was necessary for this. The deputy commissioner said that the TMA and livestock department were working on it, adding we also get complaints from the public again and again and will try to transfer them to a separate market. Shopkeepers should cooperate with us in this regard and not put obstacles in the way. 

The shopkeepers around the poultry shops are also in great difficulties and bothered by its smell and they do not have frequent customers due to this. A shopkeeper selling ice cream in Dinin Bazar said there are poultry and meat shops near his shop whose feathers and waste etc. enter his shop due to wind and the customers avoid visiting his shop.

Shopkeepers and market goers as well as tourists demanded that these shops should be shifted from middle of the bazar to a separate market so that the passersby and tourists are not bothered by their smell.