Ahmedabad: The Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) Commissioner has come under heat after a proposal to construct a new slaughterhouse was included in the civic body’s draft budget, triggering opposition from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders. As the controversy escalated, AMC Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani stated that he was willing to withdraw the proposal.

The draft budget had proposed shutting the old slaughterhouse and constructing a new facility at an estimated cost of ₹32 crore, prompting sharp reactions from BJP leaders, including former mayor and MLA Amit P. Shah.

Shah alleged that the proposal was brought forward under pressure from Municipal Councillor Imran Khedawala and asserted that the BJP’s top leadership would reject a move that contradicts the party’s ideological stance. He added that similar relocation proposals in the past, such as shifting the facility to Piplaj village during his tenure as mayor, had also been rejected and expected the current proposal to meet the same fate.

Ellisbridge MLA Amit Shah said, “In the previous coordination committee meeting, Imran Khedawala had suggested the work of shifting the slaughterhouse. Now the Commissioner has proposed it, and the Standing Committee will decide whether to accept or reject it, but I am sure that the BJP will not approve this work.”

He also demanded increased police vigilance and patrolling following a recent incident of alleged cattle smuggling, claiming smugglers transported cows in a car from Danilimda and may have taken advantage of the absence of police presence in the area.

According to details in the draft budget, the new slaughterhouse was proposed at TP-32 in the Shahwadi–Behrampura area of the city’s South Zone, with around 15,882 square metres of land earmarked. Plans included animal holding enclosures, cooling and chilling facilities, and a rendering plant, in line with Supreme Court guidelines and central and state government norms.

Importantly, the proposal forms part of AMC’s draft budget, which is presented by the Municipal Commissioner and is subject to review by the Standing Committee comprising elected representatives of the ruling BJP. The committee later makes changes to the budget, after which the final budget is presented and approved. DeshGujarat