SHILLONG: The Centre’s new rules banning sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter has been criticised by State political parties and NGOs.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has notified new rules under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act which ban sale of cattle for slaughter in open markets across the country.
A gazette notification, titled Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017, by the ministry says no one can bring cattle to animal markets unless he or she has furnished a written declaration that the cattle will not be sold for the purpose of slaughter.
Animal market committees will take “undertakings” that sold animals are for agricultural purposes and not slaughtering.
Sharing his views on the matter, United Democratic Party (UDP) working president Bindo M Lanong said the Act is totally different from what the Centre is trying to do at the moment.
“People have certain eating habits since ages and why does the Centre want to make India a vegetarian country,” Lanong said while asking the Government to come out clean with their intentions.
“Let them express their intention so that we can understand their agenda after which we will start contacting foreign countries for importing and exporting beef,” he added.
Terming the restriction as unacceptable, Lanong made it clear that the party is against the Act.
Former KSU leader and chairman of North East Students Organisation (NESO), Samuel Jyrwa, said the banning on slaughter of cattle is a state subject and the Centre cannot impose a blanket ban on the matter.
“The Centre needs to understand that India is not a vegetarian country but it is a country of different races with different culture and food habits,” he said.
Congress senior leader Deborah Marak did not mince her words while commenting on the move. She said the Centre wants to convert India to a “Vegistan”. “In my entire political career, I have not seen anything like this and democracy does not work like this,” she said.
Maintaining that cattle are a state subject, she added that the Central Government cannot dictate states on the matter.
The rules define cattle as a bovine animal including bulls, bullocks, cows, buffaloes, steers, heifers and calves and camels.
The new rules also prohibit establishment of an animal market in a place that is situated within 25 km from any state border and within 50 km from any international border.
However, the largest cattle market in the state is situated in Khanapara, which falls right on the inter-state border with Assam.
