An unclaimed consignment containing unhygienic beef, pork and mawa, weighing nearly about 400 kg was found in a luggage compartment of Goa-bound Hazrat Nizamuddin (Goa Express) passenger train, which arrived at platform No 2 of the Vasco railway station from Delhi early Thursday morning.
As per information provided by Animal Rescue Squad member Gaurav Kumar, the consignment was being transported illegally and supposed to be unloaded at the Margao railway station. However, it was transported further to the Vasco railway station as he had alerted the railway authorities and police at Margao in the morning.
Kumar said that neither did the consignment carry any official receipt or certificate of transportation nor was there any mention of the animals slaughtered for the purpose of consumption and added that the meat was transported in an unhygienic condition and hence unfit for consumption. He also claimed that similar consignments have been loaded onto a train in Delhi and are expected to be delivered either at the Margao or Vasco railway station on Friday morning.
Officials of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) inspected the meat, but failed to seize the consignment or book an offence against unknown persons due to restrictions over jurisdiction. FDA inspector Shivdas Naik said that they cannot seize the consignment lying within the premises of Vasco railway station. “We can only register a case under Food Safety Standard Authority of India but we don’t have any powers to book a case against unknown persons involved in illegal transportation of beef,” he said.
When contacted, manager of the Vasco railway station M Thamarai Selvan said that the Vasco railway authorities can neither hand over the parcel (containing beef, pork and mawa) to any government authority, nor are they entitled to allow any person to touch the parcel as the consignment was supposed to be delivered at the Margao railway station. He clarified that the parcel reached Vasco station as the door of the luggage compartment had failed to open at the Margao railway station during the early morning hours on Thursday when the train had reached Margao. “We are now sending the parcel back to the Margao railway station in a Collem-bound passenger train. Once in Margao, the consignee would be revealed,” he said.
Finally, the consignment was sent back to the Margao railway station in the afternoon, where the parcel was seen lying on platform till late in the evening.
Railway authorities at the Margao station informed the police, who, in turn, summoned officials of FDA and animal husbandry and veterinary services department. However, no offence has been registered against unknown persons.
“We told the police and Railway authorities to conduct the panchanama of the consignment and collect a sample and give it to us for checking the quality of meat at our laboratory. But the authorities were reluctant to do it,” said an FDA official. Team of animal husbandry officials along with a doctor checked the meat and found it to be unhygienic.
Margao railway police station in-charge Santosh Desai said that since the property was of Railways, they (police) had no role to play. “If the Railways gives to us in writing that the meat was being transported illegally, we can act,” he said. Interestingly, the railway authorities refused to provide details of the sender and receiver of the consignment.
Public relation officer of Konkan Railway Corporation Limited Baban Ghatge said that such transportation of meat is permitted in trains but hastily added that it should be packed properly in refrigerated containers. He also said that the Railway Protection Force officials had already informed the South Goa Superintendent of Police about the meat consignment. The meat is presently in the possession of the Railway authorities at Margao. It is learnt that Railways has been advised to dispose off the meat since it is unhygienic.
Meanwhile, animal activist Gaurav Kumar said that post the deadly assault on animal activist Amrut Singh, consignments of beef, pork and mawa are transported illegally to Goa on a large scale on a daily basis by the Goa Express train, either from Delhi or Belgaum. He said that such consignments were earlier transported by road, but after the assault, people involved in the illegal trade are now more vigilant. Kumar also said that four groups – Govansh Raksha Abhiyan, Animal Rescue Squad, Shiv Sena and Gau Gyan Foundation – are collectively making efforts to stop the illegal trade and killing of animals. He also demanded strict action against the people involved in transporting meat illegally by slaughtering animals.
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