Srinagar — The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has expressed strong condemnation and alarm following the seizure of 1,200 kilograms of rotten meat from a cold storage facility at the Zakura Industrial Estate in Srinagar. The tainted consignment, reportedly destined for distribution to hotels and restaurants across the Valley, has triggered widespread panic among consumers and sent shockwaves through Kashmir’s business community.
In a sharply worded statement, KCCI questioned how a facility handling perishable food items was operating from an industrial estate meant exclusively for textiles, calling the situation “completely unacceptable.” The Chamber demanded an immediate inquiry into the operational legality of the cold storage unit, including whether it had valid registration, food safety certification, or any formal clearance to store and distribute meat.
“This is not just a food safety lapse — it is a potential public health catastrophe,” the KCCI said. “Had this contaminated meat entered the consumer supply chain, it could have resulted in mass foodborne illness or even fatalities.”
The Chamber has called on the administration to launch a time-bound and transparent investigation into the matter, to make findings public, and to hold accountable everyone involved — from the meat supplier and cold storage operators to the regulatory officials who failed to detect the violation in time.
The KCCI said the incident exposed a disturbing gap in Jammu and Kashmir’s regulatory mechanisms for monitoring high-risk perishables like frozen meat. “How did such a large consignment of spoiled meat pass unchecked into the Valley? What role did regulatory authorities at Lakhanpur, the key entry point into J&K, play in this?” the Chamber asked, raising serious doubts about inspection systems at the border and within the Valley.
Calling the scandal a “death trap” narrowly avoided, the Chamber said that frozen meat imports into Kashmir must now be placed under strict surveillance. “It is critical to establish rigorous inspection protocols at entry points like Lakhanpur to ensure that no consignment of meat is allowed into the Valley unless it is properly certified, documented, and transported under safe, regulated conditions,” the KCCI urged.
The Chamber further warned that the incident has deeply shaken public trust in food served in homes, eateries, and hotels. “This isn’t just about a single bad actor; it’s about a broken system that failed to protect consumers,” the statement read. “This breach of consumer rights and public health standards must not go unpunished.”
While appealing to the public to remain vigilant and report unsafe food practices, KCCI also assured Kashmir’s business community that it will continue to advocate for ethical, safe, and transparent trade practices. It called on the government to take decisive action to prevent any recurrence and restore public confidence in the food supply system.
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