New Delhi: A delegation of mutton dealers from Kashmir Valley met Member of Parliament Aga Syed Rahullah Mehdi in New Delhi to voice serious concerns over alleged extortion and harassment of livestock transporters at key border points in Punjab. The dealers sought urgent intervention to end what they describe as systematic exploitation of truckers ferrying sheep and goats to the Valley.
Led by Mutton Dealers Association General Secretary Mehrajuddin Ganaie, the delegation highlighted the difficulties faced by dealers due to illegal demands for money at Shambu Border and Madhavpur in Punjab. Ganaie informed the MP that the extortion has not only disrupted the flow of livestock into Kashmir but also severely impacted their livelihood.
“Truckers are being stopped, delayed, and coerced into paying large sums of money at these checkpoints. This is not just unfair, it’s strangling the supply chain and raising the cost of mutton in Kashmir,” Ganaie told the MP.
The dealers expressed frustration over the lack of concrete action despite repeated appeals to the concerned authorities, forcing them to escalate the matter to the national level.
MP Aga Syed Rahullah Mehdi gave the delegation a patient hearing and assured them that the matter would be pursued both at the administrative and legislative levels. “I will take up this issue with the Punjab Government and also raise it with my fellow parliamentarians,” he said, stressing that such extortion practices were unacceptable and must be dealt with firmly. [KNT]
