IMPHAL, November 10: Fowls imported from Dimapur estimated to be of a value of around Rs 2 lakhs were seized by the All Manipur Poultry Farmer and Trader Association with the help of IRB personnel at Luwangsanbam at around 9 am today as they were being brought into the state without proper certification by veterinary authorities.
The seized fowls (Broiller) were handed over to Heingang Police Station this morning after members of the association submitted a written complaint. The number of fowls was 660 and its market price is around Rs two lakhs.
The fowls were being ferried in the seized Mahindra Bolero carrier bearing registration number AS-02AC-1568 with a bogus “ On Army Duty” sticker. Four individuals including the driver of the vehicle Md Mirza Sheik, 20, son of Surbul Sheik and the other occupants Zafer-Ulla, 28, son of Aman-Ulla, Rafic Ali, 20, son of Muslim Ali, and Md Ali Hussein, 23, son of Surub Udin, all residents of Bhebheir in Nagoan district of Assam were handed over the police.
Members of the association said that the fowls were brought into Manipur without proper clearance by the veterinary department. This is a violation of the Transportation of Animal Act 1978 which has been enforced in the state, they claimed adding that the members made a thorough examination of the papers/documents of the carrier vehicle and found that prescribed norms for transportation of the birds have not been followed.
The address put in the receipt belonging to Parveen Chicken was fake and there is no shop in the state by that name, members of the association said and added that the transporters have no idea of the address where they were suppose to unload the delivery.
General Secretary of the Association K Achouba said that the office of the veterinary department deployed in the inter-state border were bound by law to check the documents before allowing the vehicles carrying the fowl to pass through but the incident proved that staffs did not carried out their duty.
Transporting fowls from outside states without disease free clearance certificate is a violation of the Transportation of Animal Act 1978, he stated and appealed to the concerned department to monitor the ferrying of live animals across the border rigorously.
He said such illegal import would hurt the local breeders and sellers and if allowed to persist unchecked will result in escalation in the price rates of fowls.
In this regard, officer-in-charge of Heingang PS Raikumar said a report had been submitted by the association members and as the concerned PS the vehicle and persons are under their custody but added that they will be handed to the officials of the veterinary department for further investigation to determine whether the fowls are safe or not.
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