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    BSF asks West Bengal government to implement cattle market order

    Synopsis

    BSF has sent another communication to the state government requesting them to step up the vigil on the movement of vehicles with cows.

    ET Bureau
    KOLKATA: The Border Security Force, which comes under the Union home ministry, has invoked a 13-year-old order issued by the Left Front government intended to end cross-border cattle smuggling. The move assumes significance as cow vigilantes have not been able to function easily in West Bengal because of the Mamata Banerjee government.

    The BSF has written thrice in the last 10 months to implement the Bengal government’s policy that says no cattle market can be operated within 8 km of the Indo-Bangla international border. At present, 6 of 20 such cattle markets spread across three border districts in Bengal operate, violating the order. The September 2003 order says, “no cattle haat would be located within 8 km from the Indo-Bangladesh border due to various law and order problems.”

    Even though the order has not been scrapped by the Mamata Banerjee government, it is yet to implement the decade-old policy on cattle smuggling and other border crimes. The order includes guidelines for panchayats. It lists the procedures to shift a cattle market operating within 8 km of the international border outpost.

    At least 6 cattle markets including Panchpeta (Gaighata police station) in North 24 Paragana, Haknabari in Nadia district, Papuahat in Malda, Krishnapur (Lalgola police station), Dhanirampur (Raninagar police station) and Dhuliyan (Samserganj police station) in Murshidabad districts operate violating the government norms. The cattle markets are located in 3-5 km of the border outposts. Instances of cattle smuggling through these markets are rampant.

    In the last letter on July 21, BSF yet again requested the state government to shift the cattle markets since Id-ul Adha was approaching when cattle smuggling reaches its peak. “We earnestly hope that the state government implements its policy and shift the cattle hats from these locations,” said Sandeep Salunke,IG, South Bengal Frontier, BSF.

    Apart from shifting the cattle markets, the BSF has sent another communication to the state government requesting them to step up the vigil on the movement of vehicles with cows. “The state police should at least intercept the vehicles before it reaches border. Once the vehicles reach border, it becomes very difficult to stop them. The smugglers use the riverine border. The rivers are almost flooding now and they push the cows to that side through rivers where BSF has no control,” said a senior official of the force.


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