Not a single cow has entered Meghalaya since Assam passed its Cattle Preservation Act last year, the Khasi-Jaiñtia Butchers Welfare Association (KJBWA) told Highland Post today, contradicting the Meghalaya government, which has painted a rosy picture of the situation.
Only last week, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister Sanbor Shullai said that the rising cost of beef in Meghalaya was more down to the smuggling of cattle into Bangladesh rather than any undue restrictions placed on the movement of cattle by neighbouring Assam.
After Assam tightened its cow slaughter, transport and sale rules in 2021, Meghalaya launched “immediate steps” Shullai said to mitigate this and ensure hassle-free transport of cattle from other states.
However, these steps appear not to have worked.
The KJBWA said that supply of cows to Meghalaya has completely ceased since Assam passed its law and what cattle have come in are instead buffaloes.
Although Meghalaya has issued permits for cow transportation from states like Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, etc, KJBWA general secretary Generous Warlarpih said that trucks do not dare pass through Assam nowadays.
“Our government has to come clean if the permit issued was to bring in cows or buffaloes because not a single cow has come after the Assam government implemented the act,” Warlarpih said.
Owing to this situation many butchers in the state have been forced to leave the industry and many have become jobless. Other butchers are still hanging on by procuring a few cows from local farmers at very high prices.
“We have brought to the government’s notice about these happenings and we want the people in authority to at least have some decency to clarify if the Assam government has become so powerful that it can bar cattle coming to our state from other states,” he said, likening this attitude of the Meghalaya government to burying the butchers alive.
Warlarpih added that the government, which always encourages people to stand on their own feet, has to take responsibility for the loss of livelihood of the local butchers due to its failure to ensure the supply of cows to Meghalaya.
