VASCO: Beef stall owners operating in Vasco have gone on an indefinite strike from Monday due to lack of meat supply and interference from the anti-cow slaughter NGOs, while importing beef even as sellers and traders have all valid documents.
A beef stall owner said that this harassment by the NGOs and with the government not coming out specifically as to when the Goa Meat Complex will be operational, has forced them to go on an indefinite strike.
According to traders and stall owners, earlier they used to bring cattle from across the border with doctors’ certificate to slaughter at Goa Meat Complex, as Goa did not have a large quantity of cattle, to cater to the demand. Despite having the certificate, the NGOs would forcibly release the cattle, either at the check posts or at the Goa Meat Complex, due to which they used to suffer huge loss, a beef stall owner said.
He further said that they need almost 500 cattle per day to meet the demands of the beef stall owners and cold storages in Goa and this can only be procured from across the border. “If the government does not intervene and come out with a solution, then we will be forced to come on the streets along with our families and the workers, to demand justice,” added the beef stall owner.
While discussing the issue with Herald, Steven Dias stated that beef is the most common dish in the Christian community for all occasions and if the beef stall owners go on an indefinite strike then the Christian community will face a lot of problems during the coming wedding season.
Caterer Peter Vaz stated that he has around five wedding orders and if there is no supply of beef then he will have to bear the loss by replacing it with mutton which is comparatively costlier. Beef is one of the main courses on the menu during any wedding or festival, Vaz said.
Vaz claimed that this will have huge implications for the future electoral prospects of the BJP in the State. Vaz said that if the government does not come out with a solution this could be the last time the BJP will govern Goa.
