LAHORE: Despite skyrocketing prices, people have started visiting makeshift and permanent animal markets to get the animals of their choice well before the Eid day, to provide their family members, especially children, to spend maximum time with these animals before they are slaughtered to fulfill the command of Allah Almighty.
On Sunday, a large number of people from provincial metropolis Lahore visited various animal markets including the one at Shahpur Kanjran, which is a permanent and largest such market in Lahore. Open areas, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, have been specified by the provincial government for purchase and sale of the sacrificial animals. The Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL) has specified 10 sites for makeshift cattle markets and sale points this year, and divided the city into seven zones for the purpose.
Traders and cattle breeders, while responding to a survey, carried out by APP, said that major factors behind skyrocketing prices of sacrificial animals were high transportation and animal feeding costs, and the loss of livestock in the floods last year. The high prices of sacrificial animals have affected the purchase power of low-income groups and salaried class the most.
According to the survey, most people are giving preference to collective sacrifice due to high prices of sacrificial animals. They said that in Lahore markets, this year around 30 to 35 per cent more prices of sacrificial animals were being demanded by the cattle owners.
A visit to different sale points also revealed that the price of a normal-size goat, sheep, or lamb ranges from Rs 65,000 to Rs 75,000, whereas a medium-size cow and calf ranged from Rs 140,000 to Rs 300,000. “Transporting animals from south Punjab to cities like Lahore, Rawalpindi or Faisalabad had become a pricey affair,” Israr Gopang, a livestock breeder from Dera Ghazi Khan, said. When asked about the high prices, he replied that last year a truck carrying animals to Lahore from Mithan Kot and Dera Ghazi Khan would charge Rs 48,000 to 50,000, but this year they were demanding around Rs 95,000 to 100,000 for the same task.
“Another reason for prices of animals this year is high inflation rate in the country. For instance, last year, the price of beef was Rs 450 per kilogram, while this year, it is increased to Rs 700 per kilogram,” he added.
Meanwhile, caretaker Punjab Local Government Minister Ibrahim Murad chaired a meeting to review the arrangements made for sale and purchase of sacrificial animals. He directed the officials concerned to make the sale points operational with the best arrangements ahead of Eidul Azha, and widely publicise its locations for public convenience through the media. Murad also directed the authorities concerned to make better cleaning arrangements as well as a comprehensive security plan for the sale points. He said arrangements for clean drinking water, power generators, lights, and parking should be ensured at the sale/purchase points, he added. He said sewerage lines as well as nullahs should be cleaned within five kilometres radius of the animal sale points, to avoid public inconvenience, and pre-monsoon arrangements should also be complete at the earliest.
Meanwhile, keeping in view the security measures regarding the Congo virus and lumpy skin diseases, the minister said that only healthy animals should be allowed to be brought to the cattle markets while the entry points of cities should be sprayed to prevent the Congo virus.
Among the 10 makeshift markets and sale points, three temporary markets have been established at LDA Avenue-I (on Raiwind Road) and Pine Avenue Road, Nishter Zone at LDA City (near Sidhar Village at Kahna Kachha, two at Allama Iqbal Zone at NFC Society (near Bahria Town) and Raiwind (near Haveli Markaz, opposite Nisar Spring Mills on Sundar Road), and one each selling point at Turkey Road, near LWMC dumping point in Lakhodair (Wagha Zone), Hazrat Usman Ghani Road, near Saggian Road (Data Ganj Baksh Zone), Site for IT University (Main Campus) on Barki Road, near Paragon Society (Aziz Bhatti Zone), Faqeer Muhammad Dagya Road, near SNGPL Office (Ravi Zone) and Sports Complex at Adda Rakh Chabeel, near Manwan Hospital (Shalimar Zone). Like last year, the Lahore district administration intends to prohibit trading sacrificial animals outside these markets.
