Govt to request HC to allow legal cattle slaughter
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 25 April 2013 19:46 IST
Bharatiya Janata Party government has decided to request the high court to allow legal slaughter of animals while assuring to crack down illegal slaughter of animals, including cows, in the tourist state.
The sudden stay imposed by the Bombay high court at Goa on the cattle slaughter at Goa Meat Complex (GMC) has dried up all the meat shops in the state.
It has thus affected severely the tourist market as well as local meat eaters.
Goa has 59 traders attached to the GMC, providing meat to all the consumers statewide.
Chief minister Manohar Parrikar today told the Assembly that the government would approach the court on Monday with a request to allow legal slaughter of cattle.
The court, while imposing ban on the cattle slaughter at the GMC, has set up a committee with a deadline of 30 April to submit a report about illegalities committed in the state-funded GMC.
The Govansh Suraksha Abhiyan had approached the court after around 40 of their activists door crashed into the complex and alleged to have found several illegalities, including cow slaughter.
“There is total ban on slaughtering any cow”, Parrikar told the House today, while assuring to crack down on any such incident brought to his notice.
He informed the House that there are three different laws prohibiting any ‘usable’ cattle to be slaughtered.
It includes central law of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act as well as two states acts – Ban on Cow Slaughter Act 1978 and Goa Animal Preservation Act 1995.
In fact, he said, the last act does not allow any cattle, which is even likely to be useful in future for any activity, to be slaughtered.
“Even I have my own sentiments against killing any animal, but I also know that Goa has meat eaters and it is also a tourist state”, said the chief minister.
He also appealed to the members not to give communal colour to the issue, stating that all the acts, including the cow slaughter prohibition act was passed during the Congress regime.
Parrikar also condemned the act of Govansh Suraksha Manch to illegally trespass into the GMC and said such acts would be dealt with prosecution in future.
The chief minister also pointed out that the Manch has complicated the issue further since the high court ban would boost illegal slaughter of cattle.
“Please don’t run behind publicity through such acts but take law enforcing authorities into confidence if you want to stop such illegalities”, Parrikar appealed to all the animal lovers.
Since many Goans eat beef, it should be provided to them.
Moreover, fish has become very costly and many Goans eat beef as a suitable substitute to fish,
Being a tourist state, beef needs to be made available in plenty.
Cows should not be slaughtered because they are like our substitute mothers.
Nobody should try to make this a communal issue.
Hindus, Christians and Muslims are getting along well in Goa for ages and this spirit should continue.