Though the Jharkhand Government is yet to receive official intimation regarding ban on cattle trade for slaughtering purposes, Jharkhand Pradesh Jamaitul president Mujib Quraishi claimed that the order will only leave animals worthless which is considered a ‘pashudhan’ in rural areas to be used for emergency situations.
“Sarkar ke is faisle ke baad to ab kisan ka janwar kaudiyon ke bhaav bhi nahin bikega’ (After this decision, farmers will not be able to sell their animals even at throwaway prices),” said Quraishi. Animals in the villages are kept for worst periods as ‘pashudhan’ which is generally sold out generally for marrying of one’s daughter or when they require money in emergency like situations, he added.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on Friday notified new rules under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which bans sale of cattle for slaughter in open markets across the country.
“For them it is their fix deposit which is used during emergency situations which is also being taken away from them; where will the farmer go now,” said Quraishi. It is not mentioned anywhere what will a farmer do with his cattle which has stopped working for him, is there any alternate arrangement made for them, he questioned.
“Once it becomes a liability, it will be difficult for him to keep it with him he will have to be fed. The farmer will not be able to feed even the milk producing cattle in his house, as non-milking cows will become a liability for them” Quraishi said.
The decision, according to Quraishi, was bound to force peopmaking to le take to streets as there are at least 10-25 cattle traders in a village and will pose a threat on their survival.
The State Government however, was yet to receive any intimation from the Centre in this regard. “Nothing in this regard has been received so far by the State Government; I also heard it from media itself. let it come, we will implement that here also,” said Singh.
A gazette notification, titled Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of livestock Markets) Rules 2017 which was issued on Friday, stated that no one can bring cattle to an animal market unless he or she has furnished a written declaration that the cattle will not be sold for the purpose of slaughter.
Further, upon sale of cattle, the animal market committee will take an “undertaking” that the animals are for agricultural purposes and not for slaughter.
It requires cattle trade at animal markets to only take place for agricultural purposes.
The notification further stated that cattle buyers will now have to give an undertaking that the animals are not for slaughter and the market committees will have to check the buyers’ credentials and keep records of sale. The records should be preserved for six months, it said.
The new rule also says cattle buyers cannot sell the animals outside the state without permission. Cattle, under the new rules, include bulls, bullocks, cows, buffaloes, steers, heifers, calves and camels.