RAWALPINDI: The district administration has allowed 236 religious seminaries, organisations and purchasers to set up stalls for the collection of animal hides during the three days of Eidul Azha.

A total of 258 applications were received by the district administration out of which 236 were allowed to collect hides, seven applications from religious seminaries and organisations were rejected while 15 applications were still in process.

The Punjab government has imposed a ban on the collection of hides by banned outfits. The government issued a notification directing the administration to allow only those organisations, groups or trusts which have been issued no-objection certificates (NOCs) by the administration.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema told Dawn that a total of 258 organisations, trusts and religious seminaries as well as purchasers had submitted applications for NOCs.

“After getting a report from Special Branch and the District Intelligence Committee, we rejected seven applications and provided NOCs to 236 applicants,” he said.

He said the administration had imposed Section 144 in areas where there were arrangements for collective slaughtering to avoid snatching or collecting hides forcibly.

He said a ban had also been imposed on dumping animal waste in and around Nur Khan Airbase to avoid birds near the runway. He said that the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company and Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation were directed to check the areas around the airbase. He said to avoid Congo virus, all the tehsil headquarters hospitals had been put on high alert and asked to make arrangements to deal with such cases. He said veterinary staff had already been deployed on the entry and exist points of the district to check animals for Congo fever. Heatstroke control rooms have also been established at all the tehsil headquarters hospitals following a forecast by Met Office.

Cleanliness plan

The district administration and the RWMC have chalked out a plan to ensure a clean and healthy environment on Eidul Azha, said the deputy commissioner.

As per plan, more than 6,340 workers and 1,066 vehicles and machinery will serve in the field, while the leaves of all staff have been canceled. The Eid cleaning operation will continue in seven tehsils of the district, consisting of 164 union councils of Rawal Town, Pothohar Town, Saddar, Taxila, Gujar Khan, Kahuta and Kallar Syedan. The scope of the operation includes 729,577 houses, 1654 mosques and Eidgahs, 560 cemeteries, five cattle markets and 38 joint slaughter points.

The RWMC has built 33 transfer stations and four dumping sites for timely disposal of waste, while 7,991 containers and drums have also been arranged.

As part of the cleaning plan, 11 large trenches are being dug at the dumping sites so that the waste can be safely disposed of. Moreover, 145,000 kilogrammes of lime, 2,302 litres of phenyl and 981 litres of rose water will be used to make the cleaning process effective.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2026