‘District Coordination Officer (DCO) Ahad Cheema is the poorest administrator of the provincial metropolis’ is a fact proven through consistent mismanagement of city issues. The recent failure of his administration is the absence of the government’s writ in sale-points of sacrificial animals for Eid, where the only rule is of the extortion mafia looting traders despite the implementation of Section 144 in the city to manage the affairs of Eidul Azha. Another plight for citizens is the mismanaged arrangement of transport facilities to sale-points established far away from the city. No arrangements for transportation of animals bought from the sale-points have been made, causing people to pay high fares on private vehicles. It is feared that prices of sacrificial animals would also touch a historic high this year, due to the failure of the DCO and his team.
Informed sources in City District Government Lahore (CDGL) revealed that certain black sheep inside the government were involved in looting money from traders in the name of entry fees and the DCO, despite knowing this, was providing them safe cover and not acting upon the problems faced by the masses. Spokesperson to DCO said they had not been notified about people charging entry fees in cattle markets, and action had been taken against such elements. Until now, three people have been suspended after being found involved in it, he said.
Lagging behind in its schedule for establishing these markets, the CDGL acted in hurry to catch on lost time, resulting in a plan rife with problems for Eidul Azha, which was finalised without all concerned parties being taken on board. Town administrations were ordered to arrange the sale-points without taking all aspects into consideration. Despite the imposition of Section 144, sacrificial animals were being sold inside the city while havoc reigned at the sale-points due to the absence of a force to implement orders. The whole plan had been put in disarray.
Despite announcement of abolishing entry and sale fees for animals brought to the sael-points, mafias at the sale-points are charging high fees from cattle-traders for admitting their animals into the cattle markets. The CDGL staffers in the markets are allegedly involved with the mafia and looting traders. Citizens fear such negligence on the part of the government would wind traders up to raise the prices of sacrificial animals and. Two hundred rupees for a goat, five hundred for a cow and two thousand for a vehicle are being charged for entry to the sale-point at Shahpur Kanjran on Multan Road. The practice is followed at other sale-points, but with differing rates. Shahpur Kanjran, LDA Avenue I and Kacha Ferozpur Road sale-points are hotbeds of looting, TMO Aziz Bhatti Town Usman Liaquat said. He claimed the sale point under his jurisdiction was free from extortionists.
The hit and miss approach of the government in dealing with matters has triggered panic among citizen and traders about their Eid preparations. Many of those lucky enough to reach any of the sale-points return empty-handed due to the high prices, even two weeks before Eidul Azha.
