SHILLONG: The Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021, that prohibits inter-state transport of cattle to and from, as well as through Assam without valid documents, is primarily to stop smuggling of cattle outside the country (to Bangladesh) and not stop “legal trade”, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here on Sunday, even as he underscored that it would not in any way affect legal transportation of cattle to other northeastern states.
“I think the law is very clear. Whenever the government of Meghalaya gives permit, Assam will release the consignment. This ban is within the geographical territory of Assam and whenever Meghalaya or Arunachal or Nagaland need, only the state government has to certify that these vehicles are destined for Meghalaya,” Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of a conference of chief ministers of the northeastern states with Union home minister Amit Shah here on Sunday.
“Not in any way our bill will affect the consumption level or supply level of states of Meghalaya, Nagaland or Arunachal. They are free to bring ‘things’ through Assam. Only thing is that they have to issue a permit,” he said, when pointed out that there was considerable concern in Meghalaya over the bill, which bans inter-state movement of cattle through Assam.
“Because our whole idea is that ‘things’ should not go out of the country. So basically, all these actions are to stop cattle smuggling. But we are not stopping the legal trade,” the Assam chief minister said.
