[Office-bearers of AIMLEA from Mumbai and Delhi are camping in Lucknow for the past week. We want clarity about the exact government order but we are yet to get it. Nobody is meeting us. Senior officers turn us back saying that “sirf mukhyamantriji batayenge” (Only the CM can take a decision on this). When we tried to meet the CM, his personal aides refused an audience. ... At a time when there is a serious threat to the Rs 50,000-crore meat trade which provides employment to five lakh people, this approach is intriguing. One should know that only 25% of the workforce in the industry is Muslim. The rest are Hindus and mostly OBCs. About 50% employees are women. ... If there is a threat to the meat industry, the dairy trade would also collapse and farmers would be the biggest losers. India is at the top in the dairy business because it tops in meat production.]
http://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/anarkali-of-aarah-movie-review-swara-bhaskar-champions-this-fiesty-film-with-a-message-3350484.html ‘Meat exporters feel they’re not doing business but committing a crime … officials closing slaughterhouses on flimsy reasons’ March 29, 2017, 2:00 AM IST TOI Q&A in The Interviews Blog | Edit Page Panic prevails in the Rs 50,000 crore meat industry of Uttar Pradesh after a statewide crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses and mechanised abattoirs initiated by chief minister Adityanath Yogi. India is one of the largest meat producers with UP accounting for 60% of the trade, but the state’s production has gone down by an estimated 30-40% and exports are likely to be badly hit. The state government has categorically stated that it is only acting against illegal units but the closure of some slaughterhouses with a valid licence in western UP has set alarm bells ringing. Representatives of All India Meat and Livestock Exporters Association (AIMLEA) have been camping in Lucknow to discuss the issue with the state government and AIMLEA secretary Fauzan Alavi spoke to Subhash Mishra about the industry’s concerns: *Why are licensed slaughterhouses worried when the UP government’s order is to close down only the illegal ones?* We are in the meat export business for the past 40 years, follow the best professional practices and follow all guidelines. A licensed exporter, for example, can’t even think of slaughtering a cow – not because it’s legally banned, but also because we share the same sentiments for the holy animal as our Hindu brethren. But, suddenly we are being made to feel that we are not doing business, but committing crime. Taking a signal from the top, lower-rung officers are knocking at our doors with a threat to close down business. Within four days of government formation, four licensed slaughterhouses – all 100% export units – have been closed in UP. Authorities checking these slaughterhouses ordered their closure on such flimsy reasons as one non-functional CCTV camera, slight variation in building plan and so on. The government officials come to check the slaughterhouses carrying locks and seals with them. *Have you not approached the new state government?* ***Office-bearers of AIMLEA from Mumbai and Delhi are camping in Lucknow for the past week. We want clarity about the exact government order but we are yet to get it. Nobody is meeting us. Senior officers turn us back saying that “sirf mukhyamantriji batayenge” (Only the CM can take a decision on this). When we tried to meet the CM, his personal aides refused an audience.*** [Emphasis added, now.] ***At a time when there is a serious threat to the Rs 50,000-crore meat trade which provides employment to five lakh people, this approach is intriguing. One should know that only 25% of the workforce in the industry is Muslim. The rest are Hindus and mostly OBCs. About 50% employees are women.*** [Emphasis added, now.] *Are you planning to move court to challenge action against licensed meat exporters?* We are businessmen and 45 mechanised slaughterhouses, which are 100% export-oriented, bring about Rs 20,000 crore foreign revenue every year. But if the government is still not listening to us and goes ahead with the crackdown, we can’t fight against it in courts. We will simply shift our bases to other states which already have approached the AIMLEA. But there are complaints and a general impression that UP’s meat industry is responsible for illegal slaughter of cows and violating provisions of the law. Your comments? The AIMLEA challenges that if any of our member units is indulging in any violation, we welcome toughest action. There are more than two dozen agencies inspecting us periodically and they never raised any issue. So, why are we suddenly facing closure after the new government in the state? We have taken crores of loan and will drown in debt if the industry gets closed. *It is also being said that the way cattle are being slaughtered, the dairy industry will face a serious threat to its survival. Your comments?* It is absolutely baseless as India is not only one of the largest producers of meat, but also of dairy and milk. The meat industry is the byproduct of the dairy business. Have you ever seen any buffalo loitering on the roads and eating plastic bags or garbage? It is just because buffaloes, when they turn unproductive, are sold to slaughterhouses, while farmers leave their unproductive cows to wander. Since a farmer earns by selling even his unproductive buffalo, buffalo rearing is on the rise while cows are becoming economically unviable. Of the total milk production, buffaloes have a 55% share. ***If there is a threat to the meat industry, the dairy trade would also collapse and farmers would be the biggest losers. India is at the top in the dairy business because it tops in meat production.*** [Emphasis added, now.] -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
