Call on ban of cow slaughter is slowly growing louder in theState.
Animal lovers and traditional farmers from Canacona havedemanded ban on cow slaughter and to close down all illegal slaughter houses inthe State.
They have also demanded a vigil on the border check post atPolem from where cattle from North Karnataka are transported to Goa.
Farmers from the area have alleged that people from northKarnataka transport cattle for grazing on comunidade lands of Canacona, Quepem,Sanguem and Betul.
“In the pretext of grazing people from Majali, Sadashivgadand neighbouring villages of North Karnataka transport cattle to the slaughterhouse in Goa, said Elvis Fernandes, Deputy Sarpanch of Loliem-Polem.
This has been going on for the past several years,especially during the end of the monsoon, when plenty of grass is available inthe fields, Fernandes said.
According to Sukto Velip, a son of a traditional farmer fromCotigao the cattle from Karnataka are transported to different parts of SouthGoa but they are never taken back.
He suspected these cattle are being slaughtered in Goa andrequested the authorities to make thorough inquiries in this regard.
According to environmentalists there are vast tracts ofgrazing land at Karwar and North Karnataka. There was no need to transport thecattle to Goa by covering a distance of 70-90 km for grazing, theenvironmentalists said.
“Over the last one month more than 3,000 cattle fromKarnataka were transported to Goa,” the deputy sarpanch of Loliem-Polem said.
Environmentalist, Pankaj Mahale, suspects that over 70percent of the cattle are sent to a slaughter house through an agent.
The cattle sent to Goa also include aged and sick animals.
A special check post was already set up at the Goa border inPolem to check cattle for disease, the Canacona veterinary officer, PrashantNaik said. He said that most cattle, shifted from other states to Goa, carrythe foot-and-mouth disease, while she-buffaloes are highly susceptible to thesame.
Prasad Salunke a farmer from Asnoti, Karwar said that policehave been acting on complaints that a large number of cattle have gone missingfrom various places in Karwar.
Likewise, from the last fortnight some cattle are alsomissing from the cattle pound at Canacona municipality and a complaint isalready lodged with the concerned authorities, informed Chief Officer, PradipNaik.
