JORABAT, June 28 - In the midst of reports of thriving cattle smuggling syndicates making the rounds, two trucks transporting cattle far above the permissible numbers, met with an accident at Sonapur on Friday morning.
According to police, two 12-wheeler trucks carrying about 40 cows and bulls from upper Assam were on their way to Guwahati, when the truck in front lost control and overturned on National Highway-37 near Digaru gate. In no time, the second truck hit the first from behind. Almost all the cattle in both the trucks were injured in the mishap.
Following the incident, the drivers and helpers of both the trucks fled from the scene, leaving behind the trucks on the mishap site.
Police later made a temporary arrangement to shift the cattle to a newly constructed old-age home at Sonapur and get them treated for injuries.
Meanwhile, knowledgeable sources revealed that normally about eight bovines are allowed to be transported in a big truck. Sources also revealed that purchase receipts for only 25 cattleheads were found in the two trucks. As such, questions are now being raised as to how 40 cows and bulls were being transported by the two ill-fated trucks.
A local resident, refusing to be named, said that about 20-30 vehicles (sometimes even more) carrying cattle illegally, pass through the Sonapur and Jorabat police checkpoints on a daily basis, but the lucrative nexus between police and the cattle smugglers facilitates the illegal trade unhindered.
According to sources, cattle are brought in trucks from upper Assam and also from states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Bihar to the cattle market located on the Meghalaya portion of 9th Mile, not far from Guwahati city. Even though the market is located on the Meghalaya part along the Assam-Meghalaya border, all financial and related dealings are carried out from Assam. The cattle brought here from different parts of Assam and other states, are later smuggled to Bangladesh, where cow meat is said to be in high demand.
Meanwhile, the Kamrup Metro unit of the All Assam Students� Union (AASU) has demanded a high-level inquiry into the flourishing cattle smuggling syndicate in the State.
Dibyajyoti Medhi, general secretary of the AASU�s Kamrup Metro unit, said, �A CBI inquiry into this matter is required and most importantly, immediate action should be taken against the in-charges of the police stations through whose jurisdiction the cattle trucks pass unhindered. Even the departments concerned with issuing/checking transportation permits and livestock permits need to be on their toes to act against this lucrative business instead of allowing it to flourish under their nose.�
The locals, who are in the knowhow of the lucrative business, say that the trucks bringing cattle to the market at 9th Mile are parked on the national highway on both sides, almost blocking it. This affects the smooth flow of traffic, but the police are found to be blind to the menace.
