Modern meat shop building to soon start construction

Thimphu Thromde is to start the construction of a three-storied modern building at Centenary Farmers’ Market (CFM) soon. The meat shops in Norzin Lam and Chang Lam will be relocated in the building, which will come at a cheaper rent and with better facilities.

The ground floor of the building will be designated as a parking lot. The first and second floors will have the meat shops. The third floor, installed with all necessary ventilation, will be used for meat drying purpose.

Seeing the inconvenience and health issues arising from poorly maintained meat shops, the Thimphu Thrompon, Kinlay Dorjee, said that the Thromde has had to plan for a modern meat shop building with better facilities, such as lift services, refrigeration, a meat drying area and proper means of meat waste disposal.

He said the new building for the meat shops will have a parking lot where meat can be offloaded and taken in the lift to the meat processing rooms. He said, “They will be provided with specific rooms where they can do all the chopping

of meats.”

The Thrompon also highlighted health issues that come with improper and unhygienic means of handling meat. “They expose the meats, especially fish that are kept in the open without being covered by ice,” he added. Thromde is working with the livestock department and BAFRA.

Currently the rent is Nu 70,000 to Nu 80,000 and even more in a month for a small space, but it will be cheaper in the new building.” Thromde plans to fix the rent at half the rent of what meat shops are currently paying.

Kinlay Dorjee said, “The waste meats are thrown to the dogs, but once we have centralized a way of handling then will see where the meat will be disposed, and we won’t see dogs lingering around the meat shops.”

The budget allocated for the building construction is Nu13 million. Thromde is using the budget from their revenue. “We are seeing to invest this fund and to make revenue out of it,” the Thrompon added.

The construction is yet to begin, and will take maximum of one and a half year.