'Online sale hard as buyers have to physically check goats' condition'

With the Maharashtra government banning the sale of goats in the open markets ahead of Bakr Eid those dealing in the business are in a fix Several truckloads of goats buffaloes and chicken collectively worth Rs 10 crore are stuck at the GujaratMaharashtra border since 2 am on Monday as they have not been allowed entry in view of government guidelines which have permitted only online sale of livestockSome others who managed to cross the border earlier have not been allowed to travel beyond VasaiVirar where they are currently stuckSpeaking to midday Khwaja Ibrahim Qureshi exporter of goats said I bought the goats from Ajmer and was supposed to sell them at markets in Mumbai Mira Road Jogeshwari Mumbra and other locations But the cops are not allowing us to enter the state saying there is a restriction on transporting cattle till August 5Animals will dieGoat farmers make good money during this festival but the government has banned their sale in open markets How will we sell online The government should have taken a decision at least 15 days ago so that we could have looked for an alternative he addedState Govt Issues Guidelines To Keep Bakrid As LowKey As Ramazan EidHe further said We have already travelled a lot and the animals are tired They need to take rest and have food as well We cannot bring the animals out as its raining and they might fall ill And if they are not taken out they will die We are feeling extremely helpless Whatever we have invested is at stakeTruckloads of cattle are stuck at the MaharashtraGujarat border since 2 am on Monday PicsHanif PatelThe civic body conducted a meeting with the trustees of masjids in the VasaiVirarNalasopara region on Monday and asked the community to strictly adhere to the rules We are law abiding citizens but selling goats online is difficult for Bakr Eid as the buyers have to physically check their health condition number of teeth horns and several other things said Fazle Haque B Qureshi who attended the meeting with the assistant municipal commissioner and Manikpur police in Vasai West on MondayWhy this hypocrisySocial worker Avinash Kushe said Before taking the decision the government should have held meetings with leaders of the community The civic body called us for a meeting just a few days before the festival They should have helped in promoting online sale of goats but nothing has been done Now just like the buyers the sellers too are confused We do understand social distancing is important but goats were easily transported in the lockdown and meat was sold in markets then why this hypocrisy ahead of Bakr EidGoat farmer Yasin Memon of Vasai Gaon has incurred a loss of Rs 10 lakh He said We are now sending pictures of goats on WhatsApp groups The new rule has also forced us to scale down the price to Rs 300 per kg from Rs 450 per kg Most people dont want to buy as they have lost jobs due to the pandemicMohammed Azeemuddin Khan maulvi at Auliya masjid in Malwani said Though slaughtering goats in public places is not allowed many traders are sending such videos to buyers on their phones Cops should take action against themHowever hit hard by the pandemic many people have not been able to purchase goats this yearMahim resident Yasin Hamidani said This year I couldnt buy a goat due to the financial crisis I run a Media Care Brand Solutions PR agency but I have been jobless for the past four monthsTrader Ali Haider Ansari from Mumbra Mart said This year not many people are buying goats and I have also reduced the price to R18000 We are sending videos to our customers but its not as authentic as a physical purchase We send goat slaughtering videos to customers on their phones and then send the meat in three packagesWhen contacted police inspector Ajay Vasave of Talasari police station said We are not allowing the traders to cross the border as they dont have valid permission Only online sale of cattle is allowed They are not following the government guidelines They should have valid permission and order books01 AugustDay Bakr Eid will be celebratedCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news