'Take strict action against rampant cattle trafficking'

A delegation, comprising Udupi-Chikmagalur MP Shobha Karandlaje, Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, DK BJP President Sanjeeva Matandoor and BJP MLAs, urged deputy commissioner, superintendent of police and city police commissioner to take strict action against rampant cattle trafficking in Dakshina Kannada district.

Speaking to mediapersns on Saturday, Kateel urged deputy commissioner to constitute Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) under his chairmanship to effectively implement all the laws related to the protection of cows.

All the illegal abattoirs should be closed down in Dakshina Kannada to check the trafficking of cattle. According to the government records, there is only one abattoir in undivided Dakshina Kannada district. A special squad should be constituted to check illegal transportation of cattle in the district.

The MP said CCTV cameras should be installed at select locations and barricades should be kept on the road to prevent the transportation of cattle. The slaughterhouse in Kudroli, under Mangaluru City Corporation jurisdiction, should be shifted.

He urged the district administration to give a compensation between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh to owners whose cattle were stolen by the traffickers in the district.

That apart, the administration should also instill confidence in the owners so that they can once again rear cattle, he added.

Kateel said despite acts like Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act 1964, Transport of Animals Rule 1978 , Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, the illegal transportation of cattle was rampant in Dakshina Kannada district.

Owing to the negligence of the state government, illegal transportation of cattle is disturbing the communal harmony. In order to prevent cruelty to animals while transportation, the government has passed Central Motor Vehicles (Eleventh Amendment) Rules, 2015.

Accordingly, permission from RTO should be sought for transporting cattle in a vehicle by modifying the vehicles with compartments. The state government has neglected the rules and has failed to implement it effectively to check the transportation of cattle in an inhumane manner.

Special checkposts with CCTV cameras should be set up in border areas to prevent illegal transportation of cattle to Kerala. All the rules related to transportation of cattle should be implemented effectively.

As per Section 8 of Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964, any animal, including cows, should not be transported to Kerala for slaughtering.

The checkposts should confirm it through affidavit, he explained.

Seize cattle

The MP said by furnishing false documents to the court, the seized cows in Jokatte were released.

“There is a need to conduct a thorough investigation into the case and act against those who furnished false documents to the court. The released cows should be seized back to ensure that they do not enter slaughterhouse.”