JOWAI: Despite efforts made by the government and various organisations, there are complaints of cattle being smuggled to Bangladesh regularly via the border areas in Jaintia Hills including Muktapur, Kuliang and Umkiang.
Last Friday, the Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU) led by central body president Lawyerson Mynsoo and Hynniewtrep National People’s Federation (HNPF) activists led by president Lone K Laloo detained two trucks transporting 50 heads of cattle (24 and 26 in each truck).
The two trucks (AS01JC-9256 and AS06BC-3888) did not possess transport challans except for the bills showing the cost of the cattle.
However, the drivers who were identified as Akmal Khan and Debashish Das, informed this correspondent that they were transporting the cattle to Umkiang.
Sources had earlier alleged that some NGOs in Jaintia Hills are directly involved in the illegal trade and have started to smuggle cattle to Bangladesh as it is a very profitable business.
“Some blamed some NGOs for the illegal trade which has forced us to conduct inspections along the national highway NH-6 and detect such illegal transportation of cattle,” the JSU leader said.
Lawyerson also informed that they had received numerous complaints about the smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh via the Jaintia Hills border on a daily basis.
“If nine to ten trucks of cattle were smuggled daily from India to Bangladesh via Jaintia Hills be it Umkiang, Kuliang or Muktapur what will happen to the beef-eating states like Meghalaya and Mizoram? There is no doubt that the price of beef will rise,” said HNPF chief Lone K Laloo.
“A single truck transports 24 to 26 heads of cattle and if 10 trucks are able to successfully smuggle them out of the country, the calculation would show that around 240 to 260 cattle end up in the neighbouring beef-consuming country on a regular basis and the number of cattle smuggled will also be worth lakhs of rupees”, he added.
The JSU also informed that a meeting between police and BSF personnel was held in Shillong recently to come up with a solution to cattle smuggling.
The evidence of cattle smuggling from Byrnihat to Bangladesh via Jaintia Hills borders can be also proved by the seizures made by BSF personnel stationed in Muktapur, Borsora, Kuliang and Umkiang.
A few days ago, Ladrymbai police personnel on duty at Shohshrieh check point in East Jaintia Hills seized two trucks loaded with cattle.
The cattle allegedly belonged to a Jaintia Hills-based NGO who in turn, dismissed the claim.
Meanwhile, the SP of West Jaintia Hills informed that on July 31 around 7:30pm, BSF personnel of Hawaitilla BOP seized 21 heads of cattle which were being smuggled to Bangladesh while on patrol duty along the international border falling under the jurisdiction of Muktapur Patrol Post.
