LAHORE: The city district administration has failed to execute the cattle eviction drive, as buffaloes and cows continue roaming and littering urban localities across the provincial capital.

The issue is not only causing quarrels among the residents of urban and rural localities, but also affecting the Punjab government’s Suthra Punjab initiative, Dawn has learnt.

“We see cattle roaming in our streets almost on a daily basis. They are not only littering but also destroying the greenbelts, plants and parks. But unfortunately, no one comes to evict them despite complaints,” deplores a resident of Johar town.

“When we checked, we came to know that some people from Samsani village drops cattle for grazing in various blocks of Johar town in the morning and take them back in the afternoon almost on a daily basis. We also complained to Allama Iqbal town administration, but it didn’t bother,” he explained.

Drive to evict buffaloes, cows from urban areas seems to have fallen flat as animals graze on greenbelts; spox says ACs asked to identify land for cattle shifting

The resident said he and others often washed and cleared the street of the animals’ waste.

According to another resident, he, off and on, requested the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) sanitation workers to remove the animals waste, but they refused to do so. “Our job is just to clean the localities through manual sweeping and not to lift the cattle waste etc,” he quoted the LWMC workers as having said.

Many years ago, the city administration had chalked out a plan to shift the entire cattle from city areas to Gawala Colony. Though some efforts were made in the past, the cattle eviction drive was not executed effectively.

Last year, the government again revived the drive as a part of Suthra Punjab drive and launched various operations to shift the cattle, but it again slowed down due to various administrative and operational issues in all 10 tehsils of Lahore, including City, Ravi, Shalimar, Cantt, Saddar Model Town, Nishtar, Allama Iqbal Town, Raiwind and Wagah.

“Sometimes, we feel that we are living in a village, as we witness buffaloes, cows, goats etc in our locality on a daily basis. A few days ago, the cattle roaming in our street destroyed saplings planted by the residents,” said a resident of a locality in Model town (extension).

“I don’t know who brings animals to roam and litter our area,” he said, adding that he and other residents themselves use to clean the street. The resident said he and others also requested someone in the DC office for eviction of cattle, but to no avail.

According to another resident, the cattle roaming in urban areas are also causing accidents on roads. “Last week, I witnessed as many as 50 buffaloes crossing an intersection at the main boulevard in Johar town. When the animals were crossing the road, they hit a bike rider. He fell down on road and received injuries,” he said.

Talking to Dawn, an official source said the Lahore DC had assigned all assistant commissioners (ACs) to search a couple of chunks of state land in their respective tehsils in a bid to shift the cattle there. “Though few ACs identified places for this purpose, most are yet to do so. Therefore, I think that this would only be resolved if the places are identified in all ACs jurisdictions,” the official, requesting anonymity, said.

He said the cattle evicting operations were carried out by the tehsil administrations of Ravi, Shalimar and Nishtar.

When contacted, a spokesperson for the Lahore DC told this reporter that the DC is very keen on executing the cattle eviction drive in true letter and spirit. “The cattle eviction is being carried out on receipt of complaints. Moreover, all ACs have been assigned the task to ensure cattle eviction,” he claimed. The Lahore DC was not available for comments when contacted by this reporter telephonically.

EXHIBITION: Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Zakat & Ushr, Rashid Iqbal Nasrullah, visited the Chrysanthemum Exhibition 2025 at Jilani Park here on Sunday.

He expressed great appreciation for the vibrant floral displays and lauded the excellent arrangements made by the PHA administration. The project director of Jilani Park briefed the special assistant during a detailed tour of the exhibition, highlighting various varieties of chrysanthemums and special features introduced this year.

Rashid Iqbal Nasrullah commended the creative Selfie Point and the especially designed Snow Corner, describing them as attractions that reflect the Punjab government’s commitment to delivering international-standard recreational facilities to citizens.

He added that witnessing the joy and excitement of families in the Snow Corner was heartening. He further stated that under the vision of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the Punjab government is working diligently to enhance recreational options and make public spaces more enjoyable and accessible. “The government remains committed to improving the quality of life for citizens through modern and people-friendly initiatives,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2025