“I love my animals. They are my bread & butter but let’s
be practical. Trading animals for slaughtering which are old & buying new
ones with that money is more beneficial for our agricultural business. Keeping
them with us till their death is another expense. On an average, the annual
maintenance of each animal comes to Rs.5000. I’ve 7 ox & 3 cows. Out of
which 3 ox are old & in year or two, I’ll have to trade them to buy new
one. Now, due to this ban, how am I supposed to buy the new ones? How am I
supposed to feed them? How can I see my ox dying in front of me? What will I do
with their dead bodies?” - Babu, a farmer from Sillod, Maharashtra.
“We are Qureshis (a caste in Muslims who are butchers). We
are in this business for more than 100 years now, right from my great
grandfather’s till my grandsons. This is what we do from decades. We have
around 12 shops all over Mumbai serving beef meat. We stay in a joint family
with more than 35 members. The ban has slaughtered our living for ever. How are
we supposed to fulfill our daily needs now?” – Imran Qureshi, Kurla, Mumbai.
“I’ve been dealing with beef & goat transportation for
quite some time now. Major portion of my income comes from beef meat supply as
the demand is on a higher side. I’ve more than 50 people working for me out of
which, more than 30 people handles the beef supply. Now, due to this ban, I’ll
have bare the loss few of my tempos & will have to ask few of my employees
to leave as there’s no business & I can’t pay them salary.” – Tahir Laik,
Owner of a Tempo Service, Mumbra, Thane.
“I’m not being religious out here but practical. As per our
Hindu mythology, holy cow is revered as the source of food & symbol of
life. With all due respect, the ban will create a massive nuisance in the near
future. I stay at a place where these animals are set free on roads. Four out
of seven days in a week, their presence creates a huge chaos on the streets
causing heaving traffic jams. Imagine the case when more animals will be set
free on the streets! Mumbai is one place where time plays the most important
role in every Mumbaikar’s life & similarly with most of the upcoming cities
in Maharashtra. The kind of loss which this ban may lead to is immeasurable.” –
Undisclosed woman, Ghatkopar, Mumbai
“I work as a labor in a construction company & get paid
on daily wages. I prefer eating beef over Chicken or Mutton especially ‘cos of
price. Most of the time I eat at a Bhatyaar
khana (local restaurant) which serves beef. A heavy lunch/dinner cost me
not more than Rs.50-60. Now, these restaurants won’t be able to serve beef ‘cos
of the ban. That means I’ll have to go for Chicken (Rs.200/kg Raw & Rs.400
for ready to eat) or mutton (Rs.400/kg). I make Rs.200-300 per day out of which
I’m supposed to send money at my native & manage my own expenses. The ban
on beef will give a hike to chicken & mutton prices too due to their
demand. How am I supposed to manage this now?” – Iqbal Ansari, local labor,
Mumbai.
We spoke to multiple people (without being bias to any
religion) regarding their views on the ban. Everyone has their own story to
tell which will make us wonder if it was a wise decision to ban beef in
Maharashtra. There are other important things which needs our state &
central government focus than this. Beef slaughtering is one issue that’s going
on from a long time. Has the government resolved the issues of farmers
committing suicide in Maharashtra? We have witnessed 1,160 farmers suicides in
2014 & in 2015, it has already touched 120. “Kishore Tiwari, president of
the farmer advocacy group Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) called for the
intervention of the Centre as he "has no faith in the unprofessional
attitude" of the Maharashtra administration – The Hindu.
“Incessant rains continue to lash many parts of India; Rs.
1,000 crore agricultural loss in Maharashtra – The Times of India.” The state
government made a fool out of themselves when the ruled out 5 years of
imprisonment & Rs.10,000 fine for the possession of beef whereas 2 years
imprisonment for molestation of a woman. So basically, it’s safer to be a cow
than a woman! If the ban has been rolled out considering the sentiments of our
Hindu brothers & sisters then why not the same ban against alcohol as it’s
hurting the sentiments of Muslims? In the Global Corruption Index, a survey of
133 nations conducted by TI (a Berlin-based anti-graft watchdog), India is
ranked 72 among 180 countries & out of 29 states in India, Maharashtra holds
the 17th position (Moderate) in the most corrupt state. Apparently, corruption
is one issue which is pulling the whole nation’s economy down. So are we giving
the state one more opportunity to raise corruption? Beef meat will be sold for
sure illegally & our system itself will allow it. So, is this a new
strategy for the government to make black money?
Who’s responsible for the loss of the farmer, Babu? What
alternative plans does the government has for the Qureshi family & other
like him? What about those transport owners like Laik? Who’s responsible for
the economic & commercial loss of the state? Whom should we appeal to when
the prices of other eatables goes up? Who’ll be paying that extra money to the
labor class like Iqbal & others as they will having a hard time to satisfy
one of the basic human need (Roti)?
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