Cattle smuggling via courier truck uncovered in Meghalaya, HYC calls for crackdown

Shillong, July 5: Cattle smugglers in Meghalaya have found an ingenious modus operandi to keep their client in good humour – they are delivering cattle using courier service trucks!

This method of illegal product delivery was discovered by the members of the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) at the Anti-Infiltration Check-gate in Byrnihat recently.

What appeared to be an ordinary courier service vehicle turned out to be transporting nine cattle heads in inhumane and overcrowded conditions.

The mini-truck, bearing Assam registration number AS-01-RC-7779, was allegedly ferrying the animals across state borders without any valid documents.

When the HYC members questioned those onboard, they failed to produce the mandatory paperwork for inter-state transportation of livestock.

They also didn’t have a health certificate from competent state authorities to confirm if the animals were fit for human consumption.

The manner in which the cattle heads were being transported was even more alarming as these animals were cramped in the airless compartment of the vehicle.

This violated several statutory provisions like the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the Transport of Animals Rules, 1978 (as amended), and the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

“We are unable to comprehend how such transportation is being permitted within the state in blatant disregard of the law,” HYC President, Roy Kuper Synrem said.

The HYC has urged the authorities to immediately probe the matter and ensure that all animal transportation —both into and within the state—adheres strictly to the law.

The organisation is also demanding the implementation of existing Standard Operating Procedures and stricter vigil at border checkpoints.