The recent seizures of thousands of kilograms of rotten meat across
Srinagar and other Districts are no freak incident; they are a warning flare for a systemic collapse that threatens our health, our economy, and our collective conscience, Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili
Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili
Kashmir is facing more than a food scandal. The recent seizures of thousands of kilograms of rotten meat across Srinagar and other Districts are no freak incident; they are a warning flare for a systemic collapse that threatens our health, our economy, and our collective conscience.
“We can’t afford silence or token gestures. As a healthcare professional, what I am worried about is that decades ago, Kashmir recorded some of India’s highest cancer rates: oesophageal cancer struck 43.6 of every 100,000 men, and gastric cancer numbers weren’t far behind”. says Dr. Tasaduq, a senior Kashmiri physician in the UK, the health threat has evolved—not vanished.
Till this manuscript was submitted , authorities seized thousands of kilograms of rotten meat in Srinagar city and districts, who knows what went undetected?Every careless bite in an unsafe restaurant could be sowing the seeds of deadly disease. Yet the public is given little more than promises—when what we need are answers, enforcement, and transparency. Let’s be clear, rotten meat doesn’t appear overnight, nor does it spread at this scale without years of unchecked impunity. Meat from outside is coming daily , are officials turning a blind eye, and whether a regulatory vacuum have all contributed to damage the health are debatable questions , what is hurt a trust at the heart of Kashmiri society. The Buck stops where ?
Our missing entry-point checks and invisible accountability have opened the floodgates to profiteers. The price is paid first in hospitals, then in the erosion of faith in those who are supposed to protect us.
And this isn’t just about meat. If a food item so central—so perishable—can be recycled and disguised, what isn’t at risk? Poultry, fish, dairy, bakery goods, medicines? This is not a crisis in one aisle or restaurant: it’s a crisis in the entire market.The health stakes are brutal. E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria—these are not textbook pathogens but real threats that can hospitalize children and overwhelm our healthcare system. Food can look fine and still be deadly. In a region where hospitals are overstretched and diagnostics thin, a surge in food-borne illness would be catastrophic—and entirely avoidable.
Cancer specialist Dr. Wajahat, in a post on X, said that while trade bodies now demand answers over the meat scandal, he had warned years ago about food and fruit ( water melon) adulteration and rising cancer cases in the Valley. “People dismissed my earlier posts—what matters now is demanding accountability,” he wrote.
Tourism—the lifeblood of Kashmir’s economy—is next in line. Paradise is not where people come to get poisoned. One viral news story can burn a brand for seasons, hurting not only restaurants but also the waiters, taxi drivers, vendors, and countless others who depend on visitors.The environment has already suffered enough. Dumping contaminated meat into lakes and rivers isn’t disposal: it’s ecological vandalism, poisoning the water we dare call “drinking.”Religiously and ethnically, the answer is simple. Halal is not a slogan—it’s a standard demanding lawfulness and wholesomeness. Endangering lives is anything but halal, regardless of ritual. Our pulpits must speak up, but morality needs enforcement.
So, what’s to be done? The rotten meat crisis is not about a few bad actors—it’s about a broken system. If we want real change, we must demand it: a.) Reinstate border and highway entry-point meat testing with round-the-clock labs.b.) Surprise continuous market inspections, with weekly, shop-named lab results published online., not waking up when there is disaster or public outcry ,after some time the “whole mellows down as memory shortens)Mandate traceability: no meat without documented source, cold-chain logs, and receipts’)Offenders speedily need heavy fines, cancelled licenses, and public naming..)Stop dumping seized meat in natural water bodies—use scientific, bio secure disposal.f.)Set up a protected, rewarded whistleblower line; crowdsource vigilance, not mob or media justice.g.)Require hygiene ratings (A–D) at all eateries, updated quarterly and posted visibly.
Deadlines matter. Sixty days for entry-point labs. Thirty for a public dashboard. Ninety for hygiene grades on every eatery. If deadlines slip, officials responsible should be publicly named. Accountability cannot remain anonymous.
Kashmiris must stop being passive consumers. Ask for receipts. Report suspicious sourcing. Choose rated establishments. Your rupee is a regulator—spend it where safety is visible.
Policymakers: Move beyond press notes. Share the data. Issue advisory do’s and don’ts., list of food outlets where such food was served to customers, public need assurance about safe places (restaurants, hotels- fast food kiosks, tujh street outlets from Makai pint to Khyam chowk,from Bemina to Hyderpora —not just talk. Rebuild trust, kitchen by kitchen, lab by lab, inspection by inspection. Lastly clergy must come clear on halal and haram food, how to differentiate, appreciate Mufti Azam Nasir U Islam s prompt religious advisory
The alternative is yet another cycle of outrage—with no closure. Prevention counts only when it happens. And before anything else—I leave for my friends in the media, op-ed columnists, and editorials, not mandated for seeking update, but on FAQs, frequently asked questions debated s on social media posts, the way FOod vigilance department has shown efficiency there is something we are missing, peak moral decline in society as a whole.
A concerned citizen is surprised and deserves a clear, honest answer, not excuses on Why ,
where , when and how unhygienic meat get entrance bye-passes and escapes our very active food vigilance departments hawkish eye and flood our markets for months, even years?. Prevention counts only when it happens. And before anything else—I leave for my friends in the media, columnists, and editorials, for seeking update, on such FAQs, widely debated s on social media posts,
Silence now deepens mistrust action must replace apathy to restore public confidence in those meant to guard our health.
The Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC) called for a thorough investigation, strict monitoring of all meat imports at entry points such as Lakhanpur, and tighter checks by municipal bodies and the Food Safety Department.
As raids sweep across Kashmir, I am reminded of a familiar pattern — our governance often wakes up only after a crisis. Be it fatal road accidents or the sale of unhygienic meat, enforcement is reactive, not preventive. In February13 2025, a month-long food raid drive by Raja Muzaffar’s team and the Food Vigilance Department was triggered by my article in Kashmir observer ,”,
Who is Responsible for Food Vigilance in Kashmir?
showed what’s possible — yet such efforts fade once headlines do. At a GCC meeting with high officials , I asked the Honble DC why not act proactively; he smiled, “You keep waking them by writing.” Light words, heavy truth: without systemic vigilance, we keep chasing disasters.
If these questions remain unanswered, we are simply dealing with the tip of an iceberg. It’s time for joint ( Food and Safety dept, Smc; District health officers) press briefings, complete transparency, and real consequences ,”Rotten meat band karo – awaam ki sehat bachao!”“Food safety, now or never!”.“
Kashmir cannot afford to swallow decay any longer. This is about more than food; it’s about the society we are—whether we accept quiet rot, or whether we demand accountability from origin to table.
The Author is a Surgeon at Mubarak hospital, Healthcare policy analyst, Certified Professional in Quality improvement in Hospitals can be reached at drfiazfazili@gmail.com
