Beef stalls in the SGPDA market wore a deserted looked with their shutters down. Gandhi market beef stalls too were shut for want of beef supplies. Captured by : Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
The fears of beef vanishing from the platter on Christmas Day has come true on Sunday itself.
Beef stalls in the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) and the Margao Municipality-owned Gandh market remained shut on Sunday for want of beef supplies from across the border in Karnataka post-passage of the Bill banning slaughtering of all types of cattle.
Cold storages across Salcete and other parts of the state also ran out of supplies on Sunday, leaving beef eaters to go without the meat.
Inquiries by 'The Goan' has revealed that the beef stalls at the Gandhi market as well as the SGPDA market had shut shop since Saturday as the beef suppliers from Karnataka have stopped meat consignment from the neighbouring state following the enactment of the legislation.
A trader from the Gandhi market told The Goan that he had shut down the shutters of his meat stall since Friday on account of the suppliers stopping supplies to Goa. “It’s pointless to keep the stalls open when the beef supplies are not coming from across the border”, the stall owner informed.
Another beef stall owner said that information emanating from Karnataka indicates that the authorities have already started bracing up to implement the new Legislation. “We have been told that the authorities will set up nakabandis to check transportation of beef and meat from Karnataka to Goa. In this situation, no one wants to take any risk when the new law has prescribed strict punishment, including seven years imprisonment”’, the trader remarked.
Fearing a worst scenario, the trader pointed out that they do not know how those in the business of selling beef will survive in the coming days. “We had to undergo tough days during the COVID lockdown and the pandemic. When things were beginning to open up, the ban on slaughter of all cattle in Karnataka has put the traders and those working on the trader in a tight spot”, he added.
The chain of cold storages across the state, which receives their supplies from Karnataka, also reported shortage of the meat and meat products. “We have not received fresh supplies of beef since the Karnataka Assembly passed the new law on Wednesday”, remarked a cold storage owner.
Sources in the know informed that while beef import from Karnataka have come to a halt since the last three days, the cold storages are believed to have received small quantities of the beef products from neighbouring Maharashtra.
“One has to bear in mind that most of the beef requirements of Goa were met by the supplies from Karnataka. Some supplies from Maharashtra may not help to meet the demand. The situation is bound to aggravate in the coming days with Goa heading towards the Christmas season, when the state also plays host to rush of tourists and visitors”, remarked a cold storage owner.
