Meghalaya CM

Shillong, July 11: Assam government is planning to restrict the transportation of cattle in the state and table legislation to this effect in the state assembly, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma said he will take up the matter with the Assam government and if need be with the Centre.

Assam’s proposed Cow Protection Bill which is aiming to stop transportation or use the state for transit cattle has now posed a problem for its Christian majority neighbouring states.

Christian majority states like Nagaland, Mizoram are yet to react over the proposed cattle protection bill, but the Meghalaya government said that they would move to the centre if the Assam’s Cow Protection Bill will hamper the people and economy of Meghalaya.

Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma said that, if there is an issue that will hamper the people and the economy of Meghalaya, then the matter will be taken up not only with the Assam government as well as the centre.

“We are aware of the particular law that the Assam government is taking up. We have done our initial communication with the states that actually provide us with the cattle which are West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh. The transit and transportation into the state from the other states should not in normal circumstances be an issue. Therefore all steps will be taken from our side to ensure that, the transit of the cattle that are meant for Meghalaya should not be hampered because of the law that’s being passed by Assam. But we have not seen the copy of the law what it says, we will need to examine what the terms and conditions are and how they plan to do it,” Conrad Sangma said.

The Meghalaya Chief Minister further said that – “We will try to ask the central government to intervene in the matter if there is an issue that is going to hamper our people and our economy.”

“The transit of the cattle from the origin to the destination which is Meghalaya normally should not be an issue and we have had a discussion with the states that are providing this,” Conrad Sangma said.


Also Read: Assam cabinet approves the Cow Protection Bill for tabling in the assembly

Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the state government will table the Cow Protection Bill in the forthcoming budget session of the assembly which will be started from July 12.

Beef is popular in the Christian majority states likes Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and the cattle from different parts of the country reach the states through Assam.