(IN-BD): Illegal cattle trade along Indo-Bangla border

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http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090083112

Illegal cattle trade along Indo-Bangla border

Kishalay Bhattacharjee

Tuesday, February 10, 2009, (Dhubri, Assam)

 

Dotted along the Indo-Bangladesh border are several cattle corridors through

which smuggling has been going on for years. Dhubri in Lower Assam is one of

the most active routes for this trade today.

 

It is the final journey for these animals. They've travelled a long way from

the heart of India. The consignment has come from Madhya Pradesh.

 

The transportation of the animals begins towards the international border

that's the Indo Bangla border at night. They are kept during daytime in

temporary cowsheds and this transportation continues all through the night.

 

The cattle comes mainly from Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh by

truckloads and each vehicle pays an estimated Rs 20,000 to cross the several

check gates on its way. In the process they violate at least eight sections

of the Indian Penal Code and Acts such as Indian Transport Act.

 

People like Azizur are responsible for the final cross over.

 

" We get just Rs 400. It's Rs 100 for each cattle, " said Azizur, Cattle

Attendant.

 

Jogamaya ghat in Dhubri is one of the routes that the cattle will take

across the border. There are massive boats, which come by dawn the cattle

will be loaded on them.

 

Night watchman Ram Narayan Choudhury of Dhubri's new ghat, one of the exit

points, has been witnessing this illegal movement every night.

 

" This trade has been going on for about two years. They come from Bihar,

Punjab. They come by lorries and are sent across to Bangladesh by the river

route. It's done openly in the presence of police and paramilitary forces.

No one says anything. It's big money. If it's Rs 5000 here, it becomes Rs

10,000 there and those who help in crossing are paid Rs 1000. If we

interfere we will be killed, " said Ram Narayan Choudhury, Night watchman.

 

With the break of dawn, more and more cattle make their way towards the

river. It's an unbelievably well-organised mafia that controls this trade.

 

It was in 1999 that the first investigation was carried along West Bengal

border where reportedly more than fifteen thousand cattle cross over every

night.

 

At Dhubri, at least 1500 are still waiting to be transported.

 

The volume of trade is a whopping thirty to forty thousand crore rupees.

Probably the biggest underworld trade in these parts.

 

Each cattle fetches about Rs 30,000 in Bangladesh which is one of the major

beef exporting nations. Bangladesh's economy of leather exports and bone

china is also made from smuggled cattle regularised as 'animals of unknown

origin' once it reaches Bangladesh.

 

" Cattle smuggling is a challenge, its a problem, cattle do come, they come

from hinterland. These are problems we will bring to the notice of the

government. You put cattle in river stream and they flow into Bangladesh,

BSF has opened fire mostly to prevent cattle smuggling. We have fired upon

them when they have used violence. More than one lakh cattle are being

seized by BSF, " said M L Kumawat, DG, BSF.

 

Without adequate personnel and very poor border management, majority of the

cattle are allowed to cross over. The concern, however, is not just cattle

but with such gaping holes along a sensitive border arms running and

movement of endless militant outfits is easily facilitated.

 

There are registered cases of cattle smugglers running the FICN (Fake

Indian Currency Notes) racket and it's not improbable that cattle is a

primary source of terror funding.

 

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