Maneka’s letter highlights unchecked transportation across border
MARGAO
Beef coming into the State from neighbouring Karnataka has come under the lens of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), prompting the Department of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services to tighten the screws on the illegal import of beef from across the border.
The move follows a complaint from environmentalist and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi, who raised concerns over unchecked transportation of beef across the border. A detailed letter by Gandhi to the PMO highlighting the issue has spurred the PMO to write to the Goa Chief Secretary for “action as deemed appropriate” in the matter.
In the letter, Gandhi said, “Every day, about 30 tonnes of meat is brought into Goa from Belagavi, Karnataka. That is about 500 cows and bulls. The police at the Goa border let them in without checking, and no vets at the meat complex are allowed to do any checks. This meat does not go into the meat complex; it goes directly to traders.”
She added: “There are illegal slaughterhouses in Karnataka that do not have FSSAI approval and are sending illegally slaughtered cows and bullocks. They are all in Belagavi, Yamkanmardi near Sankeshwar. One is near the police HQ on Banati Road in Belagavi, Bailhongal, on the way to Dharwad. Around 90 cows are killed in Bailhongal and are brought in by beef smugglers every day.”
She further stated that the entry points into Goa include the Mollem checkpost to Margao, Tillari in Maharashtra to Dodamarg, Chorla in Karnataka to the Keri checkpost in Goa, and Banda in Maharashtra to Patradevi in Goa.
Demanding raids by FSSAI on the illegal slaughterhouses in Belagavi, the BJP leader claimed that they operate under the guise of cold storage units. “I myself have inspected these cold storages and found them full of blood, cow and bullock heads, and meat. One cold storage was closed by me but has now been reopened,” she added.
Gandhi further demanded that the police be directed to check the meat and confiscate the trucks belonging to the smugglers. “These trucks are well known to the police as they come and go every day. If 20 trucks are confiscated, the smuggling will stop as the Goan smugglers own the trucks,” she stated in the letter.
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Strict vigil, daily inspection ordered following PMO intervention
MARGAO: A circular issued by the Director of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, Dr Nitin S Naik, earlier this month, has called for necessary action in the form of strict vigil of beef imports at entry points by the concerned area officers.
The circular called for daily inspection of meat sold by vendors, ensuring that procurement is only from authorised slaughterhouses with authentic documentary evidence. Failing to provide necessary evidence, appropriate action may be taken in accordance with the Goa Animal Preservation Act, 1995, the Director ordered.
“This Office has received a letter from the Prime Minister's Office through the Chief Secretary of Goa, enclosing a copy of a letter from Maneka Sanjay Gandhi alleging smuggling of beef from Karnataka to the tune of 30 tonnes of meat into the State of Goa every day,” the circular stated.
It has directed all competent authorities under the Goa Animal Preservation Act, 1995, to ensure strict implementation of the Act in letter and spirit. A monthly report in this regard may be submitted to the Head Office. “This is issued for strict compliance,” the circular concluded.
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Senior BJP MLA 'protecting smugglers', alleges Maneka
MARGAO: In a startling revelation, BJP leader Maneka Gandhi has pointed accusing fingers at a senior MLA of her own party, alleging that the “smugglers and the entire cow beef trade” are run by and protected by the BJP legislator.
In her complaint to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Gandhi pointed out that every time a truck is stopped at the border, the MLA intervenes to have it released and forces the police officials to let the vehicles pass. “On 21st November, a vehicle was stopped at the Mollem border. The MLA intervened, and it was allowed to be brought in,” Maneka alleged in a letter to the PMO.
In fact, in her complaint to the PMO, Gandhi had made a plea to discuss the issue with the BJP Goa MLA.
