KARACHI, Feb 11: Traffic jams can be witnessed in an around the seasonal markets where sacrificial animals are being sold. Special pickup trucks can be seen carrying animals from the city’s various cattle markets to its residential areas. Children can be seen walking their goats and cows as if they were pets.

These sights are all too frequent nowadays because Eid-ul-Azha is approaching fast. In fact it’s upon us.

Until a few days ago goats and cows were being sold at exorbitant rates. A cow of reasonable size was being offered for Rs14,000 to Rs18,000. On the other hand, between Rs7,000 and Rs8,000 was being demanded for a decent goat.

However, by Tuesday when the Cricket World Cup fever had really caught on, the prices had taken a dive. A decent goat was fetching something like Rs3,500 and a good cow could be had for Rs10,000.

Inquiries showed that the prices demanded in the Malir and Cattle Colony areas were on the lower side. The dealers in the Sohrab Goth area were demanding higher rates in comparison.

To be sure, not all animals were being offered at reasonable prices. According to a report, for instance, one dealers was demanding something like Rs1 million for a pair of bulls.

This gentleman was reportedly offered Rs500,000 for his bulls but the offer was turned down in the hope that someone will come up with a far better offer. Another report said Rs20,000 was being demanded for a yak.

According to some reports, the number of cattle heads on offer this year is far higher than previous ones. This is one reason why the prices are lower this year.

One person who wants to buy a sacrificial animal this year has to spend up to six hours in a cattle market like Sohrab Goth’s. This is so because he has to haggle a lot, and check out a large number of animals, before he can hope to strike a deal, said a resident of North Nazimabad.

One issue which makes this Eid-ul-Azha stand apart from previous ones involves the collection of hides and skins which has been banned by the city government. According to analysts, canvassing for and collection of hides and skin had been banned in view of fears that the same may cause law and order problems.

It’s feared that two political parties — namely the Jamaat-i-Islami and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement — may clash over the hide and skin on offer, hence the ban. So on the three days of Eid, Mr Average will be free to donate the hide and skin to whoever he feels like but political and other groups will not be allowed to canvass for the same.

On the face of it, the ban seems logical. But whether the city government’s directive will be implemented in a fair and judicious manner remains to be seen.

This takes us to the failure of the city government to enforce another equally important order of its own. This directive involves the setting up of mini-cattle markets in the city.

As may be recalled, the city government had recently announced, with some fanfare, that in order to maintain cleanliness and order in the city it would not allow people to set up small cattle markets in the residential areas.

But as many of us know fully well, the city government has utterly failed to implement this directive. Many mini-markets are doing great business in clear violation of the ban.

Another issue of importance, which is neglected invariably at Eid time, is the lack of proper screening procedures which could separate diseased animals from healthy ones.

In view of recent outbreaks of “mad cow disease” and “foot and mouth disease” in the United Kingdom, which boasts of good health-care services, it was being expected that proper procedures would be put in place by the Pakistani government. However, as usual, the authorities have done precious little in this regard.

The question which must be asked here is: Isn’t it the government’s responsibility to monitor what kind of animals are being offered by the cattle farmers to Mr and Mrs Average?

And what about our universities and NGOs? Shouldn’t they move in to fill the vacuum left by the authorities? Shouldn’t they provide data which our authorities, in their infinite wisdom, choose not to collate and collect?

These are questions which tell us a lot about how we, as a nation, tend to approach important issues.