PONDA: Goa has been currently facing shortage of meat and the lone abattoir in Goa at Usgao, owned by the Goa Meat Complex, which was a major supplier of meat in the State, has stopped slaughter of cattle since past two months.
Beef traders allege that the government stopped slaughter at Usgao under pressure from vigilantes.
However, when contacted, Goa Meat Complex (GMC) Chairman Satyavijay Naik said that government was not responsible for the stopping slaughter of cattle at the Usgao abattoir.
He said that it was not the duty of the Meat Complex to buy animals. “We only slaughter the animals. The cattle is brought by traders in meat complex with valid legal document. There is a team of doctors who certifiy the animals for slaughter.”
He said that the abattoir has been renovated by spending crores of rupees and that the slaughter there has been stopped for want of cattle.
“Since past two months, meat traders had not brought any cattle due to which the abattoir is not functioning. GMC is not in any way responsible for stoppage of slaughter activities. The problem is that cattle transporters in Karnataka or the meat traders transporting cattle from Karnataka to the meat complex in Goa had failed to renew their transportation permit,” he said.
He said that he even contacted the meat traders association in Goa to bring cattle at the earliest to which they said that they were in talks with Karnataka Transport officials to get their transportation licences renewed.
