Lahore - As the Punjab chief minister and the Lahore district coordination officer (DCO) seem to be at odds for the official arrangements of Eidul Azha, the people seem confused as well on how to celebrate the religious festivity, Pakistan Today has learnt.Although some days are left to celebrate Eid, Shahbaz Sharif and Ahad Cheema could not prepare a coordination plan to put things in order. Due to the hectic routine and all energy being used to combat dengue, the CM was also late to direct the DCO to put acts together for preparation of Eidul Azha. While the DCO, who was also late in response to the orders, issued details of sacrificial animals’ sale points and other related infrastructure. Two days ago, the CM announced free transportation facility to buyers of sacrificial animals and issued relevant orders, but the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) showed complete ignorance to such orders. Even some CDGL officials termed the orders as unmanageable. Issue of establishment of sacrificial animals sale points was also a bit illusionary and sketchy. In a hasty manner, it was decided to establish sale points out of the city while deadlines for finalising these markets in designated areas have also been delayed more than once. The respective towns have also taken the orders lightly and no concrete steps were seen on the spots designated for sale points.
Spokesman to the DCO, Haseeb Pasha told Pakistan Today that the CM’s orders regarding the bus service facility were vague and no official work was initiated yet in this regard. He said that earlier the towns administration were directed to make sacrificial animals’ sale points as operational until October 26 but the deadline was extended until October 29. In the past, this work was used to be completed a fortnight before Eid. But this year, the process of setting up cattle markets was likely to complete only a week before the Eid.
According to the DCO’s plans, seven places were designated to set up sale points of sacrificial animals including Jaranwala Road, Ring Road near China Scheme, Quaid-e-Azam Interchange, Burki Road, Class Vahri, Kahna, LDA Avenue 1 and Shahpur Kanjran, Multan Road. It was planned to establish sale points away from residential areas in wake of recent epidemic in the city. Cleanliness has always been an issue in such markets but the government this year seems more careful about this issue. The DCO directed to exempt animals being brought for sacrifice on Eidul Azha from entry fees in the city.
The arrival of cattle traders in designated sale points have started and traders are approaching from across the province especially from South Punjab but the town administrations concerned were yet to start preparing in this regard. Allama Iqbal Town TMO Muhammad Arif said that only lighting arrangements were finalised at Shah Pur Kanjran sale point where a large number of traders had already arrived. However, he said, tents were yet to be installed and it would be done in a day or two. The sale season has not reached its peak as citizens were merely taking an idea of prices of animals to sacrifice this year. They fear prices of sacrificial animals to inflate very much this year. Arshad Kamal, one of the few people searching for animals at the Multan Road sale point said he that had a plan to buy two animals to sacrifice on Eidul Azha this year but having a visit of cattle market changed his mind as it was not affordable for him.
Cattle dealers, however, expressed dissatisfaction over arrangements and complained of improper facilities. They said that the sale time has approached but the administration has not completed arrangements yet. Shahbaz Rana, a cattle trader, said that he has read in newspapers about tents for animals and dealers but so far there was no such arrangement and they were staying under the open sky.
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