Srinagar, November 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Authorities have seized around 1,600 kg of rotten meat at Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam railway station during a joint food safety operation, raising concerns over attempts to transport unfit meat into the Kashmir Valley’s food supply chain.
The consignment was intercepted late Friday evening by a joint team comprising officials from the District Administration Budgam, railway authorities, Municipal Committee Budgam and the Animal Husbandry Department.
Officials said the meat had originated in Delhi and was transported without the prescribed cold-chain packaging. A team comprising the Tehsildar Budgam, food safety officials, Animal Husbandry Department personnel and a veterinary doctor inspected the consignment and certified it as unfit for human consumption.
The Railway Police have registered an FIR and launched an investigation to identify the consignors in Delhi and the intended recipients in Kashmir.
The seizure has revived concerns over the supply of adulterated and decomposed meat in the Valley, where a major food safety scandal came to light in August 2025.
Investigations during that period exposed an alleged racket involving rejected and expired meat sourced from wholesale markets outside Kashmir, including Delhi’s Ghazipur Mandi. Authorities and investigators had found that chemical treatments and artificial colouring were allegedly used to conceal foul odours and make spoiled meat appear fresh before it was supplied to hotels, dhabas and catering businesses.
On July 31, 2025, the Food Safety Department and the Drug and Food Control Organisation raided a cold storage facility in the Zakura industrial estate on the outskirts of Srinagar and recovered 1,200 kg of decayed meat.
Subsequent inspections across the Valley uncovered further quantities of spoiled mutton, chicken and processed Wazwaan products. These included 2,500 kebabs and 150 kg of gushtaba allegedly containing unauthorised food colouring.
Police registered multiple FIRs in Srinagar and Budgam under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to negligent acts likely to spread infection, malicious acts, sale of noxious food and criminal conspiracy. Several cold storage operators and restaurant owners were booked, while multiple storage facilities were sealed.
More than 12,000 kg of decomposed meat and adulterated products were seized during the wider crackdown last year.
The scandal also reportedly affected consumer confidence and the hospitality sector, with restaurants and food businesses facing a decline in customer footfall as concerns over meat quality spread.
The latest seizure has once again highlighted the need for strict checks on meat transportation, cold-chain compliance and food safety enforcement to prevent unsafe products from reaching consumers.
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