MP clears bill to let collectors confiscate vehicles used in cow slaughter trade

The MP cabinet also decided to amend a law to require state ministers to deposit their income tax instead of the government bearing the burden

Published on: Jul 1, 2024, 21:43:04 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Monday approved draft legislation to empower district collectors to confiscate vehicles used for the transportation of cows for slaughter.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav (PTI)

At its meeting chaired by chief minister Mohan Yadav, the state cabinet approved a bill to amend the Madhya Pradesh Cow Slaughter Prohibition Act, 2004 to give the collectors to confiscate the vehicles a government official said after the meeting.

Under existing provisions, the magistrate used to decide whether the cow was being transported for slaughtering or illegal trade. “This process delayed the action in many cases and it was difficult for police to prove the purpose of transportation. Now, district collectors can make decisions over confiscation. It will reduce the illegal transportation of the cows from MP,” said the officer.

Under the Act, illegal transportation of cows is banned in Madhya Pradesh.

The cabinet also approved a bill to take action against landowners for abandoned open borewells. If the failed borewell is found without a cap and proper closure, a penalty will be imposed on the owner by the public health engineering department. As of now, the FIRs are being registered against the owner due to the death of children after they fell into the borewell.

At the meeting, Yadav referred to several incidents of children falling into open borewells leading to loss of life and urged people to plug the open borewells so that they don’t face penalties.

The state government has also decided to amend the law to end a five-decade-old practice that required the state treasury to pay for the income tax paid by state ministers.

The state government had been depositing income tax of ministers on their salaries and allowances since 1972. In the last five years, the MP government has paid more than ₹3 crore in income tax for the ministers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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