The state government may have succeeded in getting the president's nod for one of the longest-pending pieces of legislation to extend the ban on slaughter of cows, bulls and oxen, but implementing it will be a herculean and expensive task.
The state government may have succeeded in getting the president's nod for one of the longest-pending pieces of legislation to extend the ban on slaughter of cows, bulls and oxen, but implementing it will be a herculean and expensive task.
While the killing of cows and calves is already banned under the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976, the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 1995, approved during the tenure of the erstwhile Shiv Sena and BJP-led state government, had sought to extend it ban to bulls and bullocks. The bill had been pending since 1996.
Now, offenders selling or transporting beef will be fined up to Rs 10,000 or jailed for five years. Senior state officials said they would look at implementation of the ban in states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, seek financial aid from the Centre and roll out a phased plan to take care of the animals through goshalas.
Farmer leaders pointed out how already stressed agriculturists may face more trouble for taking care of their unproductive livestock and said that the government needs to incentivize rearing of cows to boost farm productivity and incomes. Farmers who cannot afford to rear these animals sell them to abattoirs.
A committee consisting of senior officials like the commissioner, animal husbandry, had submitted a report which noted that authorized abattoirs in the state slaughtered around 3 lakh unproductive bulls. "Since these unproductive bulls cannot be slaughtered once the law is enforced, it will be the responsibility of the government to take care of them," said the committee. Maharashtra has 338 authorised slaughter houses, of which the government has asked for around 144 to be shut for flouting norms.
Since farmers will not be able to sell the bulls after the law comes into force, the problem of stray animals will also crop up, the report noted. Hence, the government can purchase these animals for Rs 3,000 per animal, or Rs 90 crore annually.
Since the government cannot take care of the animals itself, it will have to transfer them to goshalas and the cost of fodder will be Rs 394.20 crore annually. The state will have to spend Rs 8.75 crore annually as grants for goshalas and will need at least 300 goshalas (as against 86 now) to cater to 3 lakh animals. All this will translate into an expenditure of Rs 492.95 crore for the state per year.
"Just a law banning cow slaughter will not serve the purpose, the government must ensure that farmers can afford to rear cows," said farmer leader Vijay Javandhia.
Cowdung helps increase the carbon content and soil fertility, thus boosting production, noted Javandhia, adding that the government needed to subsidise cows and growing of crops which provided fodder.
Satish Sinnarkar of the VHP's Gosewa Parishad, which runs a goshala at Uttan, noted that farmers could earn around Rs 40,000 annually based on sale of products like urine, dung and biogas. The institution, which has 200 cows of which just 80 yield milk, sells soaps, shampoos, tablets, urine, earning around Rs 60 lakh per year.
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