Team Herald
PANJIM: The Qureshi Meat Traders Association (QMTA) has decided to shut down the beef trade in the State in response to the alleged harassment to beef traders at the hands of NGOs and representatives of the Animal Welfare Board (AWB).
Speaking to Herald, QMTA President Manna Bepari said that in the last fortnight Goa Police, based on complaints and tip-off from members of the AWB and NGOs, has been
conducting raids on vehicles transporting beef or cattle to Goa.
“The traders are carrying out the business lawfully by going through the process duly mentioned. We are not slaughtering cattle either in Goa or outside, since the time Goa Meat Complex has been temporarily shut down in October 2017. We buy beef from traders in Belagavi and transport it from there to Goa. We also bring a copy of the doctor’s certificate issued to the beef trader there,” he said.
He alleged that the harassment is to implement a beef ban in Goa tacitly. “There is no beef ban in Goa, yet on the pretext of unproved illegality traders are harassed and without following due process the seized beef is destroyed. We have to incur heavy losses due to these acts of the AWB members and NGOs along with the police,” Bepari claimed.
Stating that the government should take responsibility of protecting the business of the traders he said, “Goa is an international tourist destination and if we are not able to do our business it will have an adverse impact on the tourism industry. We want the government to take appropriate steps and start the functioning of Goa Meat Complex and stop the harassment faced by the beef traders.”
Bepari said that around 20 tonnes of beef are imported daily from the neighbouring State to Goa. He said, “Daily seizure of vehicles and beef has led to huge losses to the traders which has now become unbearable.”
—
Beef worth Rs 2 lakh seized
at Valpoi, driver arrested
VALPOI: The Valpoi police seized 1,530 kg of beef worth more than Rs 2 lakh at Keri check post on Friday morning around 6 am. The police also attached the Mahindra Bolero with Karnataka registration in which the beef was transported from Belgaum to Goa for retailers. The vehicle driver Subhani Desai has also been arrested. However, the driver produced to the police a certificate certifying that seized beef is hygienic, but Valpoi police suspect the authenticity of the certificate.
“We have registered an offence against a driver named Subhani Desai son of Basir Ahmed Desai, a resident of Ankalgi in Belgaum for transporting beef from Belgaum to Goa for distribution in Mapusa and Panjim markets. The driver has been arrested for illegal transportation of beef and cruelty towards animals,” said Valpoi Police Inspector Shivram Vaigankar.
