Beef ban in Assam: The Assam government has decided to ban serving and consumption of beef in restaurants, hotels and public places, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Wednesday (December 4).
A decision was made during a state cabinet meeting to amend the current law on beef consumption, with the aim of incorporating new provisions.
Beef will not be served in any restaurant or hotel in Assam
"In Assam, we have decided that beef will not be served in any restaurant or hotel and also it will not be served in any public function or public place, so from today we have completely decided to stop the consumption of beef in hotels, restaurants and public places. Earlier our decision was to stop eating beef near temples but now we have expanded it to the entire state that you will not be able to eat it in any community place, public place, hotel or restaurant," CM Sarma said.
The Assam Cattle Preservation Act of 2021 already prohibits the slaughter and sale of cattle for beef in areas primarily inhabited by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs. Additionally, it restricts such activities within a five-kilometre radius of temples or satras (Vaishnavite monasteries).
Other decisions taken in Cabinet meeting
The Chief Minister, said the meeting of the state cabinet, which he attended virtually from Delhi, has decided to widen the road connecting Guwahati's Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi airport to the city from four lanes to six lanes.
He also announced that a cabinet expansion will occur on December 7, with new ministers set to take the oath.
During his series of meetings in the national capital, Sarma said that he had submitted proposals for approval to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for various projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore. These include increasing the capacity of Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemical Limited to five million tonnes, expanding the Namrup fertiliser plant at an investment of Rs 10,000 crore, and developing the Guwahati ring road projects.
Sarma also mentioned plans for an expressway from Guwahati to Silchar, passing through Meghalaya, with an estimated cost of Rs 25,000 crore. This project is expected to reduce travel time between the two cities from 12 hours to just five hours.
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