(IN): Cattle to Bangladesh

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*http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=jul2709/State18

 

Sankardev Sangha moves Patil over cattle smuggling to B’desh

*Correspondent

DHUBRI, July 26 – Cattle smuggling to Bangladesh has created a furore in

recent times amongst the public of Dhubri district. The matter has carried

headlines in the print media for quite a long time. But news stories in the

print media seem to have little effect on the smugglers, BSF personnel, the

civil police and the district administration. The smuggling has been going

on unabated under the very nose of the police and the BSF. It is alleged

that the smugglers are being patronised on a few political leaders of the

present ruling party, a few top ranking police officers of the district and,

of course, the BSF persons guarding the border, in exchange of monetary

consideration.

 

Along with cattle smuggling the smugglers are also found involved in

smuggling of other items such as narcotics, other contraband items, forest

produce, fake currency notes, arms and ammunitions. Hundreds of trucks

loaded with cross-breed cattle from the gosalas of Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar

Pradesh and Bihar come to the north-east to be smuggled to Bangladesh

through the Assam-Meghalaya border.

 

Recently Deputy Commissioner of Dhubri Jatindra Lahkar took, on public

demand, some stern measures in terms of transportation of cattle-loaded

trucks through Chagalia check gate. This measure compelled smugglers to

change their route. Majority of the cattle-loaded trucks are now entering

Assam through Srirampur Checkgate, in Kokrajhar district and then proceed to

Goalpara crossing the Brahmaputra by way of Naranarayan Setu and further to

South Salmara, Mankachar via West Garo Hills of Meghalaya.

 

A public meeting held recently under the auspices of Srimanta Sankardev

Sangha, a socio-cultural organisation of Dhubri at Sisupathsala Higher

Secondary School premises discussed cattle smuggling and alleged inaction by

BSF and civil police including district administration in tackling the

problem. The meeting was attended by the district unit of AASU, AJYCP

Marowari Yuva Manch, Hind Yuva Sangha, Dhubri Sahitya Sabha, Dhubri Rotary

Club, Kamakhya Go Vijnam Anusandhan Kendra, senior citizens of the town and

some local mediapersons. The meeting blatantly held the district

administration responsible for the failure to tackle the problem and decided

to send a memorandum to the President of India Pratibha Devi Singh Patil

seeking her intervention in this regard.

 

The memorandum was thus prepared and handed over to the Deputy Commissioner

of Dhubri for onward transmission to the President. The memorandum drew the

attention of the President to unfenced areas along the Indo-Bangladesh

border as well as the riverine areas along that border where fencing is

practically impossible thereby keeping the border porous.

 

Smugglers avail of this porous border particularly at night for crossover of

their cattle, bullocks and buffaloes to the other side. As the crossover of

cattle is being done illegally, the state govt has been deprived of its due

revenue from the cattle trade.

 

Illegal transportation of cattle to Bangladesh deprives the cultivators of

our country from their bullocks to till their soil.

 

The memorandum urged upon the President to take immediate steps to stop this

menace and bring the culprits to book. To tackle the problem of fake

currency notes smuggled from neighbouring countries, the President was also

requested to make an enquiry by CBI or NIA.

 

The President may also ask State Govt to provide data on import of cattle to

Assam and Dhubri district in particular, for their transfer to Bangladesh.

Copies of the memorandum have been sent to Home Minister, leader of the

Opposition LK Advani and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, among others.

 

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