Adv Carlos demands end to ‘extrajudicial elements’ acting on beef supply

PANAJI: Aldona Congress MLA Adv Carlos Alvares Ferreira on Friday demanded that the government cease extra-judicial seizures of beef consignments at the borders. He said that if the government is interested in tracking the quality of beef supply, it should be done strictly as per the law through the offices of duly appointed veterinary doctors.Speaking during the Demands for Grants for the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, Adv Carlos said that anything short of this amounted to harassment and corruption.“There are people who have no authority in law who are coming and stopping these people (meat traders). Under your Animal Act, it is only a competent officer and a veterinary doctor who can carry out enforcement. Nobody else has the power to seize, nobody else has the power to stop, and nobody has the power to even conduct the panchanama, even if it is a cognizable offence,” Adv Carlos said.He stressed the need to have veterinary doctors posted at checkposts.“Post them at the checkposts so they can do a quick rapid test and then take a decision regarding penalising or detaining, whatever needs to be done thereafter. The entire Act cannot be operated unless it is being implemented by a veterinary doctor. This way, there is no harassment or corruption at the checkpost. The longer you keep the meat there, the more it will rot. Then we don’t get the meat, especially on feast days when we require it,” he said.He said that under the current system, people transporting meat from across the border are being unjustifiably targeted.“If they are bringing in unhygienic, unsafe, or low-quality meat, then I believe it should be seized and destroyed. But the question is: who stops it? There are fringe elements who are coming and stopping these people,” he said.Adv Ferreira also called for deputising veterinary doctors 24 hours a day at veterinary hospitals to handle emergencies.“A veterinary doctor should be made available 24×7 in case of emergencies. They currently work according to office timings. You have an online system stating who is available each week or on a daily basis. It should be available online,” he said.He also called for a veterinary ambulance for transporting injured animals and highlighted the shortage of equipment at the Mapusa veterinary hospital.“The veterinary hospital does not have an X-ray or blood test machine. Similarly, they do not have gas anaesthesia,” he said.Calling for more support for NGOs involved in sterilisation of dogs, he urged the government to relax registration requirements for such NGOs.“If the Government of Goa can find a way to relax the rules, more people will be willing to come forward, reducing the load on the government,” he said, adding that while the government has a shelter for cows, there is none for dogs.Finally, he called on the government to increase the number of veterinary doctors.“There are many youth from Goa who have studied veterinary sciences, but they are not getting employment here. If you make that recruitment, your department will be adequately staffed to handle the cases,” he said.