The Chhattisgarh government is committed to protection of cows and no slaughter house will be allowed to come up in the BJP-ruled State, Chief Minister Raman Singh on Tuesday said. The assertion came in the wake of rumours about a slaughter house project in Rajnandgaon district, the home turf of the Chief Minister. "The State Government is committed to protection of cows. No slaughter house will be allowed to be set up in the State till our Government is in power," Singh was quoted as saying in an official statement here.
Rajnandgaon Member of Parliament Abhishek Singh and some local public representatives had met the CM and informed that rumours are being spread by vested interests that the government is planning to open a slaughter house at Rajnandgaon, around 90km from here. "There is not even an iota of truth in such talks, the statement asserted. Chhattisgarh was the first State in the country to ban slaughter of cows and other animals belonging to its family," he stated.
The ban on slaughter applies to all breeds of cows and age groups. Any individual who violates the ban faces up to seven years in jail and a fine of Rs 50,000 or both. Besides, the Chief Minister asked officials concerned not to clear any proposal to set up chicken processing unit in the State.
