Prices Of Sacrificial Animals See Sharp Increase

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Jul, 2022 ) :With just a few days left until Eid ul Azha, the prices of sacrificial animals have increased sharply as the purchasing process has gained momentum ahead of Eid.

The traders as well as buyers at cattle sale points have also expressed concern over high cost of the animals as well as transportation charges.

Cattle traders usually come to Rawalpindi from other parts of the district like Fateh jang, Talagang, Attock, Taxila, Gujar Khan and other cities.

People were visiting animals markets to buy or see suitable animals but most of the buyers looked disappointed upon observing high prices of animals which they said were beyond what they could afford.

The authorities concerned have also failed to enforce the ban on the sale of sacrificial animals on roads, streets and markets as several roads of Rawalpindi city and Cantonment areas have been turned into cattle markets.

The citizens said that the cattle markets were far away and the fare from the cattle market to the city was up to Rs 4,000 to 6,000.

They said that the prices of animals in local bazaars were up to Rs 20,000 cheaper as compared to the cattle market.

A large number of cattle sellers have preferred to sell their herd in the open market instead of taking them to the dedicated cattle market at Bhata Chowk due to what they said the increased market fee.

Earlier, the Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation, the Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment Boards had banned the sale of sacrificial animals on stalls or streets ahead of Eid ul Azha.

For this purpose, the district administration had also issued a notification imposing a ban on the open sale of sacrificial animals. However, the sellers of all the adjoining areas of Rawalpindi district have stopped taking animals to the dedicated cattle market and have started selling a pair of four to five small animals and two large animals at the temporary set up stall, streets and streets in the city.

After selling the animals, the sellers bring more animals to sell them to residents in different city and cantonment areas. Sacrificial animals are being sold all day long till late at night on roads and streets.

A seller, Malik Fayyaz, claimed that there was no arrangement of shade, water and electricity in the cattle markets, so by roaming around in the city, they sell animals on roads and streets easily and at cheap rates and fetch a handsome profit.

A district administration spokesman said that there was a ban on the sale of animals in city streets, bazaars and roads, adding that strict action in accordance with the law would be taken against those who sell animals in the city bazaars.

An operation against the illegal sale of animals would be launched and animals would be confiscated, he said.

The district administration had set up 11 cattle markets for the sale of sacrificial animals in the Rawalpindi district. The spokesman informed that the administration on the directives of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rawalpindi Tahir Farooq, had set up 11 cattle markets for Eid ul Azha.

In Rawalpindi, cattle markets of sacrificial animals had been set up at Bhatta Chowk near Koh-e-Noor Mills Rawalpindi Cantt, Punjab Cooperative Housing Society Adiala Road on Adiala Road and Chakri Road near Al-Haram City. Gujar Khan cattle market has been set up on Gulyana Road, Mangal Chowk near Kalar by-pass, Tanki road near Chan Shah Jalyar Kahuta, Chovera Bazaar near Rescue-1122, Kotli Sattian, HIT near Sunday Bazaar timber market road Taxila, Sharif Hospital Stop on G.T.Road Wah Cantt, Tehsil Road, Lower Bazaar Murree and Jhika Gali Murree.

He advised the citizens to adopt all possible precautionary measures to avoid Corona and Congo viruses on Eid ul Azha.

The administration had restricted the free movement of sacrificial animals inside the city so that it could properly spray the animals at the entry points to ensure their protection from the virus, he added.

The administration had directed the officials of the livestock department to set up camps at all entry points to spray the animals against the tick.

The teams of the livestock department would also continue anti-congo spray in and at main entries of the cattle markets.

According to a Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment Boards (RCB) spokesman, the board on the directives of Cantonment Executive Officer, RCB Imran Gulzar had formed teams to check the illegal cattle markets in Cantonment areas, adding, no animal vendor would be allowed to bring sacrificial animals in the residential areas.

The sale and purchase of sacrificial animals on the roads and streets was banned and all-out efforts would be made to keep the cantonment areas neat and clean during Eid.

City Traffic Police (CTP) have also deployed 117 personnel including five DSPs, 18 Inspectors, 88 traffic wardens and six assistant traffic wardens to regulate traffic near cattle markets of the district.

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