Cattle traders draw flak for flouting norms in Asifabad

Traders of cattle in Asifabad are drawing flak for flouting rules set for transporting cattle from their sheds to slaughterhouses in Hyderabad

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: Even as animal lovers are intensifying their campaigns against cruelty on animals, deaths and torture of cattle caused due to blatant violation of norms by traders while transporting them are going unnoticed, courtesy poor vigilance by officials.

Traders of cattle in the district are drawing flak for flouting rules set for transporting cattle from their sheds to slaughterhouses in Hyderabad. As per norms, traders should obtain a certificate from veterinary doctors. They should ship only six animals in a vehicle. The traders also have to obtain waybills from local rural civic bodies to transport the cattle.

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The traders buy the aged cows and ox from farmers in different parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and bring them to Ganeshnagar and Goyagaon villages in Wankidi mandal on the borders of Maharashtra and Telangana. They then load between 30 and 40 the animals in a van, trolley or container in order to save expenses involved in transportation from Wankidi to Hyderabad. They usually transport the cattle in the night to escape police and officials of the Regional Transport Authority.

Consequently, many animals die of suffocation and turbulence in vehicles on the 85-kilometre long Mancherial-Wankidi national highway 364 and Indaram-Hyderabad Rajiv Rahadari. The carcass of the cattle that die during the journey are dumped on the outskirts of Goyagaon and on the roadside, resulting in inconvenience to locals and motorists. The bovines are not fed, nor provided drinking water during the transportation.

It is learnt that traders, who have formed a group of their own for the purpose, are shifting the animals by 20 vehicles per day. They are also allegedly bribing some officials every month.

When asked, Superintendent of Police K Suresh Kumar said steps were being taken to check the illegal transportation of the cattle. He said cases were being booked against the violators of norms in shifting the animals. He advised the public to bring the transportation to the notice of police to take action against the perpetrators.