KARACHI: The government staff posted at the city’s entry points is charging a fee on sacrificial animals despite a recent order of the commissioner prohibiting levy of any tax on sacrificial animals this year, it emerged on Thursday.

These entry points, sources said, also lacked a mechanism to ensure that only infection-free animals were brought into the city.

“Sacrificial animals coming to Karachi in large numbers these days are entering the city through the National Highway, the Superhighway and the RCD Highway.

They are being taxed on all three routes.

The amount being charged is between Rs50 and Rs200,” said Abdul Lateef Qureshi representing the Livestock Traders Welfare Association.

Animal fee within the city’s regular cattle markets, he said, had also been increased manifold as the Eid season had begun.

“This is happening in the markets in Malir, Bhains Colony and Mowachh Goth and is in addition to the money traders are forced to pay to the police. The government must take notice of these malpractices, which would automatically raise animal prices and the public would suffer,” he said.

Traders were being charged Rs250 per big animal and Rs50 to Rs70 per small animal in the Malir and Mowachh Goth cattle markets, he added.

Mr Qureshi’s allegations were echoed by livestock traders Dawn spoke to during a recent visit to the cattle market set up on the Superhighway.

“The staff at the Nooriabad checkpoint forced me to pay Rs4,000 for the 43 big animals as I didn’t stop the vehicle at the chungi,” said a trader who had brought his animals from Rahim Yar Khan, adding that government staff intercepted his vehicle and demanded the money.

Another trader claimed that he had paid Rs2,300 for 46 big animals. “We didn’t know that the government had abolished the fee otherwise we would have argued with the staff there,” he said.

These traders did have pieces of paper showing the amount they had paid with a signature, but they were not proper receipts of the District Municipal Corporation, Malir, responsible to manage the Nooriabad checkpoint.

“I have brought 200 big animals this year. Only their transport to Karachi in four vehicles cost me Rs400,000 that included Rs60,000 rent per vehicle, 1,000 per animal market fee and the amount I paid to the Nooriabad staff,” said Hussain, a livestock trader.

A few traders complained that they had also paid huge amounts in fine to the Highway Police that, they said, were checking vehicles for overloading. The police, they said, should have carried out a public awareness drive before starting punishing people for vehicle overloading during the Eid season.

There were also requests that the government and the Cantonment Board Malir managing the Superhighway cattle market help traders coming from Punjab’s flood-hit areas.

The staff at the makeshift checkpoint set up at Nooriabad, however, denied that they were charging a fee for sacrificial animals. “We are only charging Rs150 on milch animals,” said Ali Murad, one of the staff members at the Nooriabad checkpoint.

Dr Altaf Hussain, the only veterinarian present there, said animals were not being examined these days as the government had ordered that no fee would be charged from livestock traders for health clearance.

The checkpoint lacked the infrastructure to provide veterinarian service and it is humanly impossible for one individual to check hundreds of animals passing through a highway daily.

Second, experts for a long time have been insisting that the government should develop a mechanism to ensure that all kinds of vaccinations are done before animals start their journey to Karachi. As for the recent threat of Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) virus that has claimed a life in the city, they emphasise the need for cleanliness at cattle pens. The virus that infects humans through a specific tick doesn’t cause disease in animals.

Speaking to Dawn, Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, who recently announced that no fee would be collected on sacrificial animals till Eidul Azha, said action would be taken against officials violating the order.

On the animal health issue, he said: “As compared to other cattle markets in the city, the one set up along the Superhighway is better in management. Vets at the Superhighway cattle market are carrying out regular inspection of animals. Besides, arrangements have been made for traders to wash their animals that would help tackle the threat of Congo virus infection.

“Cleanliness is the only prevention as there is no vaccine available for the disease. Usually animals with long hair are more vulnerable to having those ticks,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2014