- Authorities urged to lift Section 144 against animals’ sale, purchase openly
ISLAMABAD: Local vendors on Friday demanded more sacrificial cattle markets in the federal capital, voicing the concern over the financial losses incurred by them due to imposition of the Section 144 in Islamabad against the sale and purchase of sacrificial animals other than the designated places.
Over 40 per cent of the local traders from rural areas, making some 50.57 percent of the capital’s total population of around two million, associated with the cattle farming business regretted the prevailing situation and urged the authorities concerned to lift the Section 144, barring them to garner the profit of entire year.
For this annual tradition, the Islamabad Capital Territory administration had specified only legitimate place in I-12 sector to accommodate the influx of over 100,000 animals by keeping in view the public’s convenience. However, the market took some time in getting operational because of some administrative matters about opening four other markets in areas of Rawat, Bhara Kahu, Tramrri and Sarai Kharbooza that could not see light of the day.
The circular issued by the district magistrate on August 3 stated that the Section 144 was being imposed in the federal capital with regard to the expected mass influx of sacrificial animals ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. It was directed to the departments concerned to take strict action against the sellers who violates the law by moving their sacrificial animals in bulk within the sectoral areas of ICT with the objective of higher profits.
This influx of sacrificial animals on roads, green belts, and empty plots in various sectors of ICT pose not only a health hazard but they also endanger a human life by creating traffic congestion, it said. On the circular, it was also mentioned that the order was being conveyed to every department concerned and circulated through electronic and print media.
Raja Liaqut, a vendor form Shehzad Town, said that he had been doing the cattle farming for the last 10 years and earned a great profit at Eid but regretted that the situation had been changed for the last couple of years. He was not allowed to do business in his own farm house as the last night a police official warned him for this practice, he complained.
The management of the market levied a tax of Rs 2650 for big and Rs 1250 for small animal, he said. “How can someone expect to earn profit after such huge expenditures”, he questioned. The public has their own reason to flag concern against this ban. Shadab Haider, a buyer from Rawat, said that he had to come from 29km to buy a sheep and managed to purchase the sheep in Rs 30,000 after a marathon bargaining.
