Also, no buyers from scores of farmers and leather industry stalemate
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: Maharashtra government’s decision to ban beef is likely to affect nearly 20 lakh people of Quresh community, whose livelihood depends on this business. Apart from them, the leather industry, farmers, middlemen, workers at slaughterhouses and retailers associated with the business have also been affected.
“There are at least 20 lakh people of the Qureshi community associated with the beef business in Maharashtra. This is their family business and they have been doing it for generations. The leather industry, farmers, middlemen, workers at slaughterhouses, retailers are also associated with this business. But the government has not offered any alternative for them, especially the Qureshi community, who would be majorly affected,” said Abdul Jameel Qureshi from the Beef Traders’ Association.
Ever since the ban became effective, the weekly bazaar in every city and town of the state has seen negligible buyers for bulls and bullocks, thereby affecting large number of farmers, irrespective of religion, caste or creed.
Intezar Qureshi, vice president of The Bombay Suburban Beef Dealers Welfare Association, said: “We were already facing lot of problems. Now this ban is threatening to take away from us the only work we know.”
Another group that will be severely affected are farmers, who will now no longer be able to sell old, ageing cattle to the meat industry. “Farmers in Maharashtra are already killing themselves because of frequent drought conditions – will they be able to support old animals that eat more and drink several litres of water a day?” said Intezar Qureshi.
Expressing fear that the blanket ban on the beef would encourage smuggling, Mohammed Qureshi, president of Mumbai Suburban Beef Dealers’ Association said: “The farmers will be compelled to sell their animals at very low prices and the middlemen will slaughter it in villages, so that the police or authorities cannot catch them. The government decision will encourage smuggling of beef.”
Implementation of the ban is likely to be a problem in interior areas as, rightly pointed out by Mohammad Qureshi, the state and the police machinery do not have enough hands.
Poor people will be forced to look for alternatives and since so many people would have lost one source of food, other meat types are bound to become more expensive.
“Now, a farmer in Maharashtra, already reeling under drought and currently hit by unseasonal rain, will have to spend more on 80 litres of water a day and fodder for bullocks that won’t even help with farm work,” said Ansar Ahmed Qureshi, Mumbai Suburban Beef Dealer Association.
The beef dealers in Maharashtra have decided to go on an indefinite strike in protest of the ban on slaughtering of bulls and bullocks. The community has decided not to slaughter even buffaloes to protest the ban. The decision was taken after marathon meetings of beef dealers association held in the city on Friday.
“We have decided to go on an indefinite strike. The community will also restrain itself from cattle slaughtering completely. Even buffaloes will not be slaughtered in protest,” Mohammad Ali Qureshi, president Mumbai Suburban Beef Dealer Association told Asian Age.
Maulana Mehmood Daryabadi, general secretary, All India Ulema Council, said: “This is a serious situation, as it has now become a matter of bread and butter. Muslim scholars and beef dealers’ association members will be participating in the protest organised on March 9 at Azad Maidan by farmers groups.
Political voices
MIM legislator Waris Pathan said the Bakrid festival is approaching and a ban on slaughter of bulls and bullocks will put many Muslim families to great hardship as they cannot afford goats for sacrifice. “Our economy will be hit and unemployment will ruin several families,” added Pathan.
Qureshis, who are traditionally engaged in the beef trade, are planning to continue their protest. “This is not the issue of Muslims alone. Farmers and non-Muslims involved in beef and leather trade will be hit hard. The government has enforced a law which is anti-agrarian and will leave lakhs of people jobless. The government must review its decision,” demanded Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi.
Imtiyaz Jalil, MIM MLA from Aurangabad on Friday held a press conference and declared he too would raise the question during assembly session starting Monday. “The government is liable to provide alternative livelihood to the affected section of the society by the ban”.
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