Cattle market troubles: 'Why should we pay to go to our own house?'

Residents being asked to pay Rs5,000 for a pass to enter their housing societies by cattle market administration

KARACHI: The cattle market along Super Highway has been a favourite destination for prospective purchasers of sacrificial animals in Karachi, but not everyone seems to be pleased with the presence of the market. It has resulted in many troubles, especially for the residents of nearby localities who cannot commute freely due to the security measures implemented in the area.

A few years ago, the market lay on plain land but now it is surrounded by lands of housing societies, many of which have boundary walls.

People living in these localities, which either lie in the space allocated to the market or are adjacent to it, are facing hurdles while commuting to or from their residences. Often, the residents have to quarrel with the security guards at the cattle market when they are travelling.



Parts of Punjabi Saudagaran, Zeenatabad, Halari Memon, Hashimabad, Karachi Bar and Teachers housing societies lie in the area of the cattle market. The market administration also had to demolish some of the walls of these societies to set up the cattle market.

Many residents of these societies and businessmen operating in the area were hesitant to talk to the media. However, a few of them shared their concerns.

A builder requesting anonymity, who claimed to have invested Rs20 million on marketing of his nearby housing project, told The Express Tribune that his money seemed to have been wasted. "I had organised a grand inauguration of my project, inviting various artists and showbiz stars. However, not a single customer comes to visit the project as they have to go through all the hurdles and face the rude security guards of the cattle market," he said.

A real estate agent, Azhar Ansari, bemoaned that he cannot earn a single penny this month as he cannot show plots and houses in the area to his clients until the market wraps up.



An elderly man, Muhammad Shahab, who was taking a diversion route to his house after being unable to convince the guards of the market to let him go in, shared that this was a daily ordeal for him and many others and it would continue till Eidul Azha. "We are asked to purchase the pass at a cost of Rs5,000 to avoid hurdles, but why should we pay to go to our own house?" Shahab commented.

A land owner, Muhammad bin Tahir, commented that the land owners do not freely give consent to the cattle market administration to use their land. "Who can say no to them [the administration]?" Tahir said, adding that after the cattle market wraps up, the land owners have to spend a lot of money to clean their land, which will be filled with waste and stench.



A supervisor of the guards, requesting anonymity, shared that ever since the cattle market has been established in the area, scuffles are happening on a daily basis between the guards and people who live nearby. The guards are just following the orders, he added.

Administration's version

Sharing his version, the administrator of the cattle market, Syed Irshad Ahmed, said the cattle market administration pays rent to the owners of the land where the market is set up.

This is an old practice and land owners are paid rent according to the size of their land, Ahmed said.

The administrator admitted that they had to demolish some boundary walls of the societies to set up the market. "The cattle market management will compensate the housing societies for their demolished walls," he said.



Commenting on the increasing presence of housing societies in the area, Ahmed said the area is not an ideal location for the market anymore. He believed that it will not be viable to arrange the market at the current location after two years and they may have to shift it away from the housing societies.