Punjab Jat Maha Sabha has condemned the harassment meted out to people while transporting their animals like cows and buffaloes. It said, this will further push the farmers towards distress as they are now unable to sell their cattle to the farmers from other States.
Raising the issue, Punjab Jat Maha Sabha president Kushaldeep Singh ‘Kikki’ Dhillon said that the prices of cows and buffaloes have fallen in Punjab due to lack of demand. He said, the farmers from other States like Uttar Pradesh bought cows and buffaloes from Punjab because of high quality.
However, he added, due to the ban on transportation and the hooliganism of certain criminal elements who misuse the name of religion and exploit the religious sentiments of people are not allowing the transportation of the animals.
Kikki said, the farmers from Uttar Pradesh pool in their resources and buy several cows and buffaloes together which makes the transportation cheaper. However, certain criminal elements are distorting the facts and saying that these cows and buffaloes were being transported for slaughter, he added.
The Punjab Jat Maha Sabha president said, selling off extra cows and buffaloes generates additional income for the small and marginal farmers and even the landless people. With the ban on transportation they are not able to sell their extra animals which will further push them to despondency and desperation.
He appealed to Punjab government to ensure that the cows and buffaloes traded for milking purposes are allowed to be safely transported and those harassing the farmers and transporters are firmly dealt with. He said, otherwise, this will further aggravate the agrarian crisis in the state.