Panjim: Former Union Minister and sitting Member of Parliament Maneka Gandhi has slammed the new Animal Health & Welfare Policy of the State Animal Husbandry Department and has demanded that immediate amendments be made to the same.
In a letter to the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Gandhi said the Secretary (Animal Husbandry, Goa) Kuldip Gangwar has been less than honest from the beginning of this policy, as he has not included the serious animal activists in its creation while pretending he has asked all of them.
“He (secretary) has refused to accept any advice given to him. He has held some non-existent Delhi policy created by the AAP government and not explained that it was modified and the slaughterhouse part omitted,” she said.
She explained that while leaving out all the current Government of India rules for Health and Animals, the policy has added slaughterhouse construction.
“Infact from what I know of Gangar’s previous attempts in other areas, this has been a long standing desire of his to keep adding slaughterhouses wherever he is,” she said.
Gandhi said that while the policy has misleadingly been named as Animal Health & Welfare Policy; there is a sly and unnecessary inclusion of construction of slaughterhouses which is neither the Constitutional mandate nor a statutory obligation of the Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services Department of Goa under the Central or State Statutes.
She said the objective of the policy listed in the notified document strangely includes 10 created provisions for clean and hygienic meat to the consumers by establishing modern and humane slaughterhouses”.
“While this may be a mandate of the Urban Development Department under the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968 or the Goa City of Panaji Corporation Act, 2002, it has certainly no place in an Animal Health & Welfare Policy of the Animal Husbandry Department,” she said.
She further asked, “Do you want a slaughterhouse in every taluka? Is this BJP policy? Goa is the most beautiful calm state in India. Do you want herds of animals in pounds in every taluka waiting to be killed? Do you have the sewage systems for it and the wherewithal to deal with the smell? Will the nearby villages be able to deal with the smell? Shall we have the State invaded by animal smugglers of different States? What revenue will it bring? None. What damage will this cause to the environment? A great deal. Will it attract more tourists?”
She demanded that Sawant immediately removes construction of slaughterhouses from the policy and include all statutory duties and obligations currently being shirked by the Goa Animal Husbandry Dept.
“I would be grateful if you could redo the policy immediately to make it something that actually increases the wellbeing of Goa. This policy is just words and its actual intent is to do permanent damage,” she said.
Gandhi said that the policy itself is full of errors and misleadingly quotes laws that have not been enacted.
“It draws from fake precedents and I would put the entire blame on your Secretary Gangar who has been irresponsible,” she said.
