Maha govt to invoke MCOCA against repeat offenders in cattle smuggling cases

Nagpur: The state govt has announced strict measures, including invoking provisions of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), in cases involving illegal transportation of cattle, unlawful slaughter and unauthorised slaughterhouses.The Home Department has directed police to initiate MCOCA proceedings against individuals, gangs, or organizations repeatedly involved in organized cattle smuggling in violation of existing laws. Police have been instructed to investigate such cases thoroughly.All municipal corporations, municipal councils, zilla parishads and gram panchayats are mandated to identify and shut down unauthorised and unlicensed slaughterhouses within their jurisdictions and initiate legal action.To prevent illegal transportation from other states into Maharashtra, joint checkposts will be established in border areas under district collectors, comprising police, transport, local self-govt bodies and the Animal Husbandry Department. Separate nodal officers will be appointed in all offices of superintendents of police, police commissionerates, animal husbandry department and transport department. Their contact numbers will be made available to citizens.Citizens can lodge complaint on helpline 112, with the police machinery required to immediately initiate action. The transport department will conduct regular inspections of suspicious vehicles, and strict action will be taken against offending vehicles under the Motor Vehicles Act.As per the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, temporary slaughterhouses for religious purposes can be set up after obtaining written permission. It will be mandatory for the licence holder to follow rules regarding sanitation, bio-medical waste management and public health.District collectors will be primarily responsible for enforcing these orders. Officers have also been directed to conduct periodic reviews.