Rotten meat dumping, seizures trigger outrage in Kashmir

Srinagar, Aug 9: From bustling weekend food streets to unusually quiet lunch hours, Kashmir’s once-thriving eating-out culture has taken a severe hit following a series of disturbing discoveries in which hundreds of kilograms of rotten and substandard meat were seized from food units and dumped in public places.

Over the past few days, authorities confiscated more than 3000 kg of “spoiled meat” from different parts of the Valley.

On Saturday alone, hundreds of kilograms were found dumped near SKIMS Hospital in Soura, which continues to send shockwaves across the region.

As the crackdown intensified, residents said that they were greeted with unsettling sights where mounds of decayed meat were seen lying along roadsides in parts of Srinagar.

The images and videos quickly circulated on social media, sparking a wave of anger and disgust.

“I feel utterly betrayed. We trusted these eateries with our health and our families’ safety, and this is what we get in return. How long have we been unknowingly eating this garbage?” a netizen wrote.

Greater Kashmir visited several eateries in Lal Chowk on Saturday afternoon and found many tables unoccupied even during peak lunch hours.

In the city centre, normally, weekends bring queues of customers, while this time, silence prevailed.

Sameer Ahmad, a shopper from Pampore, who had come to buy clothes for an upcoming family gathering, admitted he avoided his favourite eateries this time.

“Whenever I came to Lal Chowk, I never left without eating my favourite fast food or a plate of Wazwan. But today, after watching those videos of rotten meat, I felt sick to my stomach. I bought fruits instead. I just couldn’t eat outside as I have lost my trust,” he said.

Surprisingly, in a place where meat dishes are central to cuisine and identity, some residents are now reluctantly seeking out vegetarian restaurants.

“I don’t know how much unregulated and rotten meat is being served. For the first time in years, I ate at a vegetarian restaurant on Saturday. It wasn’t my first choice, but at least I felt safe,” said Amir Bashir, a resident of Nowhatta.

The scare has also affected Kashmir’s takeaway culture.

Ready-to-serve Wazwan dishes like kebabs, ristas, and goshtabas, which were once the go-to for quick hosting, are being avoided.

“Whenever guests arrived, we would save time by getting Wazwan from trusted vendors. Now, I can’t do it. I would rather cook at home than take that risk after seeing what’s been found,” said Shazia, a resident of Nishat.

Yasir Ahmad, who runs a restaurant in Bemina, said that his business had dropped significantly.

He said that the integrity of those who were working with honesty was also taking a hit.

“The mistake of one person is destroying the livelihood of many. I sell clean and fresh food, but customers are too scared now. If a vendor is selling a dish at half the rate compared to mine, how can he maintain the standard? Authorities should scan every restaurant and ensure such things don’t happen,” Ahmad said.

Civil society members and people are now demanding that the drive against unsafe food should not be a short-lived campaign.

They are urging the government to establish a robust inspection and certification system to ensure that only quality meat reaches the market.