OKARA, Dec 3: Livestock farmers of Okara have to pay money to get veterinary medicines from all 82 public veterinary centres in the district, whereas breeders in other districts of Punjab are provided with free medication and treatment at such centres, farmers say.

Livestock farmers Mahr Amir Ali Kalasan, Rai Muhammad Khalid Kharal and Muhammad Sabir Dogar demand the free provision of medicines and treatment at public veterinary facilities.

Mr Kalasan says some 12 years ago the district government, under the then district council chairman, started charging farmers the price of medicines at veterinary centres. Last year, when Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif came to know about this discrepancy during a visit to Deepalpur, he ordered free medicines and treatment for animals of “poor farmers”.

Local vets registered 12,000 farmers as deserving while hundreds others are being charged.

District Livestock Officer Rana Liaquat Ali said his department had to follow a policy of the government regarding free treatment to animals. He said only Rs400,000 were lying with the district department for free medicines.—Correspondent