Post-Eid blues: A ‘scent’ that causes sleepless nights

The civic agencies persistent they have properly disposed off all remains of sacrificial animals.

ISLAMABAD:

Contrary to the claims of the civic authorities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, not all remains of sacrificial animals were properly disposed of in the twin cities.

Residents of Iqbal Town in Dhoke Mangtal in Rawalpindi told The Express Tribune that animal fat is being used by local factories for soap, oil and kitchen utensil manufacturing. The stench from these factories makes the air unbreathable for the local populace and the remains themselves pose a health hazard.

The basic health unit in Iqbal Town, for instance, is right next to a storage point where animal remains are being stored. “It is impossible for doctors to do their routine work with this smell,” said a female attendant.

Ejaz Masih, a local school teacher, said that he could not teach his students on Monday because of the “awful smell in the area”.

Sources said that factory workers have chosen a vacant plot near the BHU and a girls’ school to store animal remains in Iqbal Town, which is the source of the odour.

Residents of the twin cities were instructed by civic bodies not to dispose of animals remains in garbage trolleys, drains or green areas and to instead place them outside their houses to be collected by the agencies’ sanitation staff. However, before the sanitation staff could complete their rounds, ‘vigilant’ labourers from local factories collected a substantial number of animal remains, sources added.

Muhammad Sarwar, a resident of Dhoke Mangtal, said that factory workers collected the bones of sacrificial animals at the Railway Ground during Eid days. “Now they burn these bones during the night to manufacture utensils and the smell that it gives off is unbearable. We can’t sleep at night,” he added. Another local, Pervez, said the city administration was ignoring their plight.

The Capital Development Authority spokesperson said the authority has done all it can to properly dispose of animals remains. He said that the authority’s entire sanitation staff was deputed to keep the city clean during Eid holidays.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th, 2011.