LAHORE: Prices of sacrificial animals, especially goats, showed a record upward trend a couple of days before Eid, as the city’s sale points witnessed a large number of buyers and low count of animals.

“For the last three hours, I couldn’t succeed to procure an animal at a reasonable price as the sellers’ are demanding exorbitant prices,” Imran, a buyer told Dawn on Sunday. “The price of a goat of 50kg gross weight was around Rs70,000 to 80,000 last week. But, a couple of days before Eid, it suddenly surged to Rs100,000,” he said.

According to another buyer, Ahmad, after returning empty handed from Shahpur Kanjran cattle market, he purchased a goat for Rs115,000 from a small Mandi near Emporium Mall, Johar Town. “I spent more than two hours at Shahpur Kanjran market but failed to get a goat as per my purchasing capacity,” he said.

A Punjab Cattle Markets Management and Development Company says that a sudden shortage of goats, cows, bulls etc at all sacrificial animal sale points due to massive purchases pushed the prices up a couple of days ago.

“On Sunday, the number of goats at Shahpur was around 1,000 that earlier ranged between 20,000 to 30,000. Similarly, the number of big animals was also low that doubled the animals’ prices,” he says.

According to him, people bought animals worth billions of rupees from June 1 to 16.

Security: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has sought cleanliness and better security during Eidul Azha days, directing the administration to make arrangements down to tehsil level accordingly.

Chairing a special meeting here on Sunday to review administrative and security arrangements on Eid, she directed the administrative machinery to impose Section-144 for banning throwing of animal waste into canals and drains, besides the illegal business of roasting ‘Siri Paye’.

She directed the authorities concerned to further activate provincial, divisional, district and tehsil level control rooms in this respect.

She was briefed that in Lahore, staff would go door-to-door and collect sacrificial animal waste packed in biodegradable bags, and the city streets would be washed, limed and sprayed afterwards to remove smell and chances of outbreak of any disease because of slaughtering of animals everywhere in the city.

She was also told that sewerage lines would be protected against littering by throwing animal waste into them throughout Punjab.

Ms Sharif was also presented with a report on security arrangements at 2,600 mosques and 900 Eidgahs in the province.

She directed to ensure implementation of security SOPs, and beefing up security wherever there is the risk to people’s lives and property.

She sought installation of mist-fans in Eidgahs to beat the heat and surveillance cameras as well as walk-through gates for monitoring and preventing any untoward incident.

She also directed inspection of swings and slides for children in parks to ensure safety standards.

She said that illegal use of loudspeakers and display of weapons should be banned.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2024