Eight cattle markets approved for Pindi
Rawalpindi divisional administration has approved eight designated cattle markets across the district ahead of Eidul Azha, while imposing a strict ban on animal sales along roads and in unauthorized locations.
In a move to ensure hygiene and safety, only certified healthy animals will be allowed for sale.
The sale of sick or weak animals has been outlawed, and vendors found violating the directive will face legal action and confiscation of livestock.
Traders from South Punjab have complained about excessive entry fees being forcibly collected at the main Bhata Chowk market. According to traders, contractors are charging Rs7,000 per large animal instead of the official Rs3,000, and Rs6,000 per small animal instead of Rs2,000.
Despite the high transportation costs from 600 kilometres away, sellers say they are left with no option but to comply, pushing up the overall cost of sacrificial animals.
Contractor representatives responded by saying they are recovering the costs of winning a high-value contract.
Rawalpindi Commissioner Aamir Khattak has also ordered that all cattle markets must be equipped with disinfectants, regular spraying, and fire brigade presence for emergencies. Traffic police have been directed to implement traffic management plans around the markets.
According to official circulars, three cattle markets have been set up in Tehsil Rawalpindi: the main Bhata Chowk market in Rawalpindi Cantt, another near Koh-e-Noor Mill, and one in Mouza Ranyal near Fatima Jinnah University Campus on Chakri Road.
Additional markets will operate at Kallar Syedan Road, near Mankiala Bridge, Gulyana Road, near the slaughterhouse in Tehsil Gujar Khan, Sharif Hospital Stop, GT Road, and Timber Market Road in Tehsil Taxila, Mangal Bypass in Tehsil Kallar Syedan, and Chan Shah Jaliar, Tangi Road in Tehsil Kahuta.
Commissioner Khattak has instructed all concerned authorities to ensure proper sanitation, facilities, and traffic control in all markets.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
11 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Rawalpindi goes full 'bakra mode'
Women and children gather around a bull destined for sacrifice as part of the Eidul Azha rituals, on the greenbelt of Sector G-6, Islamabad. PHOTO: RAJA ZAFAR/EXPRESS A record number of citizens headed to cattle markets to purchase sacrificial animals of their choice on Thursday. A large number of animals have already arrived for sale at all 23 small and large cattle markets across the city and district. The markets will remain open from 8am to 2am late at night. As Eidul Azha draws closer, despite official restrictions, the sale of small and large sacrificial animals has started in marketplaces, street corners and vacant plots across the city effectively turning the entire city into a livestock market. In Rawalpindi, animals are being sold on major roads, intersections and within densely populated residential areas. Due to the central cattle market at Bhatta Chowk being located 20 to 25 kilometres from the city and the resulting high transportation costs, many citizens are now preferring to buy animals from local neighbourhoods and nearby areas. After the district administration's announcement, the District Council has also declared six official cattle market sites within its jurisdiction, leading to a heavy influx of animals in these areas as well. Currently, cattle markets are active across Rawalpindi city and its outskirts including Ghazni Road, Bagh Sardaran, Pirwadhai, IJP Road, New Katarian, Dhok Hassu, Dhok Dalal, Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Railway Road Bakery Chowk, the area behind the High Court, Swan Camp, Rawat, GT Road, Adiala Road, Chakri Road, Chohar Chowk, Chungi No. 22, Bakra Mandi, Dhok Syedan Road, Chaklala, Dhok Lalyal, Bhatta Mandi, Rahimabad Bridge, Tarnol Phatak, Peshawar Road Pirwadhai, Dhok Chohdrian Car Chowk, and in the tehsils of Chhani Pul, Gujar Khan, Kahuta, Kallar Syedan, Kotli Sattian and Taxila. Traffic jams are widespread around market areas and adjacent roads. The large number of loader vehicles, rickshaws and Qingqi rickshaws has made it difficult for people to move and even ambulances are getting stuck in traffic. Due to the constant arrival and departure of animals, the roads inside and around the cattle markets are littered with animal waste. Although traffic wardens have been deployed, the situation has spiralled out of control due to the overwhelming rush. Meanwhile, animal prices are skyrocketing. Bulls and cows are being sold for between Rs300,000 to Rs1.5 million, goats and sheep range from Rs150,000 to Rs500,000, while camels are priced between Rs500,000 and Rs1.5 million. Markets choked with Eid rush Our Correspondent RAWALPINDI: Due to the heavy Eidul Azha shopping rush, traffic came to a standstill across all commercial centres, markets, and plazas in Rawalpindi. With today being both Friday and Chand Raat (the night before Eid), additional security arrangements have been made in the markets. All major shopping areas will remain open until 2am tonight. Saddar bazaars have been made one-way to manage the flow. Severe congestion was reported in Commercial Market, Murree Road, Saddar, Tench Bhatta, Bara Market, Raja Bazaar, and Moti Bazaar — the latter being a popular shopping spot for women. Pedestrian movement became extremely difficult due to overcrowding. Incidents of purse snatching in Moti Bazaar have increased, prompting the deployment of female police officers in the area. On Thursday as well, markets remained packed with shoppers, with widespread encroachments and traffic jams. Despite the presence of traffic wardens, they were rendered ineffective due to the chaos. Illegal parking further worsened the situation. High demand pushes up slaughter charges Our Correspondent RAWALPINDI: With just one day left before Eidul Azha, butchers in Rawalpindi have significantly hiked their charges for slaughtering sacrificial animals, setting new records in rates. Due to high demand, bookings for the first day of Eid have already been closed. Butchers have introduced separate pricing for each of the three days of Eid, with further distinctions for morning and post-Maghrib (evening) slaughter. Temporary butchers from nearby areasparticularly from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's adjoining districts such as Haripur, Abbottabad, and Havelianhave also entered the market to earn during Eid. Many have shared their phone numbers and services on social media. According to current rates, slaughter and meat preparation of a cow or bull will cost Rs22,000 (in morning) and Rs20,000 (in evening), and for a goat or sheep Rs6,000 on first day of Eid. Butchers will charge Rs20,000 for cow/bull (in morning) and Rs18,000 (in evening), and Rs4,500 to Rs5,000 for goat/sheep. For the third day of Eid: rates for cow/bull will be Rs15,00016,000, and goat/sheep Rs4,000.
Express Tribune
12 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Cleanliness drive set for Eid
The Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) has finalised preparations across the Rawalpindi division to ensure the collection of animal waste and cleanliness during Eidul Azha. Chief Executive Officer Rana Sajid Zafar briefed the media, stating the company will carry out a cleanliness operation in 6 districts, 22 tehsils, 407 union councils, and 2,444 villages of the Rawalpindi division. All employee leaves have been cancelled for the Eid cleanliness operation. A total of 11,687 sanitation workers and 2,823 vehicles will take part in the operation. Moreover, 73 permanent and 168 mobile transfer stations have been established.
Express Tribune
13 hours ago
- Express Tribune
How we love and lost Bakra Eid
By the time Eidul Azha actually rolls around, the country has long surrendered to it. Around this time, an empty plot rarely stays that way for long – transforming into a jam-packed mandi. There, you will find people gripping goats by their mouths to inspect their teeth. (For the unaware: the goat's teeth reveal its age, with the two-toothed ones holding the highest value). On the roads, cars cautiously crawl behind the occasional herd of cows that make their way like they own the place and somehow, they do. No one bats an eye when a Suzuki drives by overflowing with animals stacked on top of each other, their limbs poking out from every possible gap. Kids run outside with bags of 'chaara' leaving a trail behind for their newly adopted goats. And of course, there is always that one cousin trying to one up everyone else, proudly boasting about how much cash they dropped on their cow or camel since a goat is simply too basic. It is loud, it is chaotic, but it is unmistakably ours. Because for many of us, this Eid is a direct line to our childhood memories. Trips to the mandi were our first introduction to the coveted phrase 'munasib lagao'. We all have a Bakra Eid story: the one goat that escaped through the neighborhood chased by a party of screaming uncles or the chachu who got smacked in the face by a panicked cow. Above all, we will never forget the dizzying excitement of waking up on Eid morning to the sound of knives being sharpened, the scent of raw meat in the air and our moms portioning out qurbani meat into plastic bags for our dads to distribute. Certainly, there is an intimacy to this Eid that has stayed with us long after the meat has been packed away. Yet, somewhere along the way, its spirit has started to fade away. For all the affection we offer our animals, it cannot be denied that we grossly overlook their comfort. Goats are tied too tightly under the harsh sun with no shade, cows stand for hours on hot concrete, and water is forgotten between rounds of eager children tugging at their ears or climbing on their backs. We decorate them in elaborate garlands and shiny bells, and laugh when they struggle under the weight as if their discomfort is part of a quirky performance. Perhaps our cruelty is not deliberate – we mean well in our excitement but it is increasingly on the edge of negligence. Qurbani for the algorithm A large part of what has changed also is that this sacred act has become entirely performative. Qurbani now arrives with a front-facing camera and animals are documented from the moment they arrive. Their pictures and videos are spammed across WhatsApp from every angle imaginable (including things no one wants to see) and posted to Instagram reels none of us can escape. Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with it. In fact, much of it is, admittedly, hilarious. A goat named Pathan Khan eating biryani off a plate, another balancing between three men on a bike. However, our laughter should not negate the fact that this trend is reducing the animal to a source of entertainment, distorting the lines between sacrifice and spectacle. In doing so, it inevitably makes way for the more disturbing act of filming the Qurbani itself, with people resorting to posting pictures, full videos and even live streaming it. Which leaves us to question, who even watches those and what does that accomplish other than turning an act of worship into a sensationalised broadcast? And then there is the matter of price. In the weeks leading up to Eid, prices soar to near absurd heights. An animal becomes a status symbol, less about sacrifice and more about wanting to surpass our neighbours – and their uncles and their brothers. Sellers, knowing that people will spend whatever it takes, take full advantage of this demand, because they know one simple truth: you cannot walk away without buying. And so, a ritual that is literally about charity ends up feeling increasingly out of reach, excluding the very people it was meant to uplift. Blood, smell, and tears Unfortunately, the challenges do not end here. Most densely populated cities in Pakistan are simply not designed infrastructurally to accommodate the scale, animals or the waste that comes with Eid. And Karachi, more than anywhere else, bears the grunt of it. This part – the aftermath – may be the hardest to joke about. It neither smells or looks good when zthe remains of the animals are left to rot on the side of the roads, as we jump over them to get to our cars. To make matters worse, there is always the impending doom that the rivers of fresh blood and sewage water will meet halfway to create a pungent sludge of filth and contamination. And God forbid if it rains, the bloody waste water mixes with rainfall to create an unpleasant and foul mess to say the least. Not to mention, it stretches out already overburdened municipal services and falls on sanitation workers who are rarely paid or treated fairly. In a religion where the ethical treatment of animals and the importance of cleanliness are fundamental, it is hard to overlook the irony. Ours is a ritual meant to honour life and sacrifice – it should not, under any circumstances, disregard it in the process. To be clear, none of this is a rejection of the festival. If anything, it comes from a longing for a time we desperately ache for. Eid is still one of the few moments where the country feels connected. The endless BBQ dawats, the chaos in everyone's kitchens, the collective participation in something bigger than ourselves; these are things worth celebrating. But celebration should never come at the cost of compassion. That is also not to say that everyone is getting it wrong. There are families who treat their animals gently, butchers who work cleanly and children who are taught clearly – not just what is happening but why it matters. Simply put: Bakra Eid can be the same, if only we let it be.
