Traditiol heads allegedly involved in cattle smuggling

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, April 11: It is more than meeting the eye when comes to cattle smuggling to Bangladesh through the porous borders in Khasi-Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya. Involvement of the traditiol local chiefs is a proven fact, even as they turned a blind eye to the mece of smuggling.

Khapara traditiol cattle trading point in Ri-Bhoi district releases around 1500 cattle per week. The latest is that every shepherded/transported cattle head should get the medical certificate. This has been met to cattle heads meant for domestic consumption. They are also ear tagged to know their destition.

However, these cattle heads hoarded in Khapara trading point made their own ways after the listed traditiol market day.

“We admit that our demand of 1500-1600 per week is there, but who take the rest of the cattle on a ‘non-market day’,” the Vice president of the Khasi-Jaintia Butchers Association (KJBA) G Warlarpih told The Sentinel.  

He insinuated that there is a big deal between the traditiol bodies and lessees in this trade that has caused more hardship to the beef consumers of the State.

Director of Veteriry and Animal Husbandry, R Rijai said, “We have our officials to check the health of the trading cattle on an official bazaar day but have no say on whatever unscheduled transaction that take place henceforth”.  

Rijai feigned ignorance on the certified cattle heads reaching to the Indo-Bangladesh border, even as he added that ear tags are there on any cattle heads.  Interestingly, the intertiol cattle smuggling racket has reached to such an extent where the known people along the villages of the Intertiol border prefer to keep mum on every questions being placed before them.

“All of them are not involved but there are some of those who know the movement,” stated Warlarpih.

The BSF shared the same notion in blaming local connivance in pushing cattle trade from the unfenced border located along Khasi-Jaintia Hills.