Assam cabinet has approved a new Cattle Preservation Bill on Thursday. Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma tabled it on the first day of this budget session.
This also shows the state government’s commitment to address concerns caused by audacious smuggling and illegal trading of cattle, which was popular in during the election campaign.
How can it be a bad idea to try to preserve a species that nourishes nature so much? Is it a bad idea to try to preserve trees and forests? Is it a bad idea to try to preserve natural sources of water bodies? Then how does it become a bad idea to bring in legislation to preserve a species which is a major sheet anchor in the delicate tapestry of Mother Nature? And notwithstanding the doomsday dealers’ warnings, the proposed bill in fact has the potential to harmonize communities weary of hash-tag trending monstrosity of insensitive humanoids, sinking their venomous teeth into cattle carcasses, indulging in decadent street theatrics.
Assam is the gateway to the Northeast, home to large beef-consuming communities. Any disruption of cattle trade in Assam will impact the supply of meat in Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh. Heavy-handed regulation, of the sort proposed in the Bill, is likely to stall trade and cause a spike in meat prices. Meghalaya has already flagged its concern about the proposed law. It must be reconsidered.