No end to cattle smuggling menace

SHILLONG: Cattle smuggling in the state is a serious issue of concern although the BSF have claimed that it has gone down since last few years.
The reports of cattle being smuggled to the neighbouring Bangladesh through the Indo-Bangla border in Khasi-Jaintia region are very common.
A police official from Amlarem said that this year alone, more than 70 cattle were seized in the area.
The problem for Meghalaya Police to apprehend cattle smugglers is due to the Custom Act which states that cattle can be seized only within the 5 km of the border where it is considered illegal.
Stating that the Police and the BSF often share intelligence about the smuggling of cattle, the official added that BSF have better chances of seizing illegal cattle. The official on the request of anonymity said that the cattle are usually dropped in some locations after which local boys take the cattle to the border through the thick jungles for which they get Rs 500 for one day. Lately, it has been observed that the smugglers have an understanding when the seized cattle are auctioned by the Customs.
“It has been seen said that the original owner of the cattle only bid for the cattle during the auction of the Customs and the cattle go back to the original owners with ease,” the official said.
The pricing of the cattle during the auction ranges from Rs 10,000 to Rs 17,000. ( It is learnt that Meghalaya Police can seize the cattle only under the Prevention of Cruelty Act and the fine for under the Act is only Rs 50.
Earlier, the BSF Director, K K Sharma had said that there was a humanitarian issue with the smuggled cattle which had gone down in last the 3-4 years and in Bengal, there are many cattle haats located close to the border and local population there are dependent on cattle for livelihood since time immemorial.
It may be mentioned that even in Meghalaya, a large part, more than 400 km Indo-Bangla border is yet to be fenced.