MPCB Orders Immediate Closure of Pune’s Only PMC-Run Slaughterhouse Over Pollution Violations
Kondhwa, 3rd July 2025: The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has ordered the immediate shutdown of Pune’s sole municipal slaughterhouse in Kondhwa, citing serious breaches of environmental norms. Investigations revealed that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)-operated facility had been discharging untreated effluents into the city’s drainage network, ultimately contaminating the Mula-Mutha river.
The closure, enforced on Wednesday, comes after repeated inspections and warnings. MPCB disconnected the facility’s power supply and issued a prosecution notice under the Water and Air Acts. However, reports indicate the PMC continued slaughter operations by using diesel generators and failed to cut off the water supply, defying the enforcement measures.
Dating back to the British era, the Kondhwa slaughterhouse has long faced scrutiny for poor waste management. Acting on repeated complaints from residents of Nancy Garden and Wanowrie earlier this year, MPCB ordered compliance, which the PMC allegedly ignored. This led to the current closure and the possibility of legal action against the civic body and its staff.
Key Fallout:
-Around 100 animals that were slaughtered daily can no longer be processed at the facility.
-Butchers and traders have warned of potential meat shortages across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, particularly with the increased demand during the Ashad month.
-The risk of illegal slaughter has triggered public health worries due to a lack of official veterinary inspections.
PMC has engaged a consultant to upgrade the facility, proposing to expand the Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) capacity from 60 KLD to 150 KLD and install a 5 KLD blood processing unit.
However, many families who rely on the slaughterhouse for their livelihood now face an uncertain future. Traders are urging authorities to reopen the facility promptly, but only after necessary infrastructure improvements have been made.
