Measures to be placed to stop cattle smuggling, Govt tells apex court

The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that it would place before it the recommendations of a committee, constituted for chalking out a mechanism to stop cattle smuggling across the India-Bangladesh border.

The government told a bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud that they would file an affidavit within two weeks giving details of recommendations and its decision on the issue.

"An order has to be issued. All that we (government) need to do is to put it formally. Give me some time, I will file an affidavit. The committee has given its recommendation," Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar told the bench. The apex court allowed the request and gave two weeks to the Centre to file an affidavit in this regard. The court was hearing a plea filed by Akhil Bharat Krishi Goseva Sangh alleging that there was rampant smuggling of live cattle across the border to Bangladesh, which has led to depletion of cattle wealth of this country.

"The smuggling of cattle across the border of Bangladesh has led to overall disruption of ecosystem and if the cattle wealth of country is depleted, then it shall also have adverse impact on nutrition of populis including children in India," the PIL has said. The organisation in its PIL has claimed that due to various syndicates operating, the smuggling of cattle is unchecked and rampant on the porous borders of Bangladesh.

It has also said the factum of smuggling of cattle across Indo-Bangla border was also shared by the Centre with various state governments and the measures to tackle the problem do not commensurate with its magnitude.