Plan unveiled to tackle cattle thieves
Rush at the cattle market on Northern Bypass ahead of Eidul Azha. Photo: APP
The police in the garrison city have chalked out an extensive plan to curb cattle theft which witnesses a surge in days leading up to Eidul Azha, particularly in residential areas.
Police said that gangs operating in groups target neighbourhoods and areas with minimal security to steal cattle that are then resold in the market.
Most thefts have been reported from areas where residents keep sacrificial animals in the street outside their homes. The majority of incidents of cattle theft were reported in the afternoon and during the middle of the night.
Police apprehended a man with three goats stolen from a housing society on Thursday.
Police officials added that they will carry out awareness drives so that citizens know how to ensure the safety of cattle.
On Friday, according to the police, SHOs and other senior officers are providing awareness to citizens during Friday prayer congregations about livestock theft incidents. They have instructed citizens to remain cautious. The citizens have also been informed about the measures taken by the police to prevent livestock theft.
SHOs have also been instructed to increase patrolling in their areas, with police personnel in plainclothes to be deployed in areas with a high incidence of cattle theft.
It was found to be a major problem in densely-populated neighbourhoods where animals were kept in parking areas that did not have adequate security.
The police added that it will be made mandatory to install CCTV cameras at places where sacrificial animals were kept.
They said that they would brief watchmen and guards hired to secure the cattle in localities. “They will be told to question anyone taking animals late night and contact the police immediately,” the officials said.
Rawalpindi police said there would be prompt action over reports of cattle theft, with CCTV cameras to help identify the thieves.
The police urged residents to also take necessary precautions to keep their sacrificial animal safe.
Offal disposal plan
Authorities in Rawalpindi intend to remove 15,000 tonnes of trash, primarily offal and other waste related to sacrificial animals, from across the city and its cantonment over the three days of Eidul Azha.
The district council, the Rawalpindi Solid Waste Management Company (RWMC), the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) and the Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) authorised the city cleaning plan.
Around 6,000 sanitary personnel will be on duty. Half of these workers, employed for just the three days of Eid, will get a special allowance. The personnel will be on duty from 9am to 1pm on each of the three days.
Additionally, 450 small and large cars, rickshaws, and handcarts have been acquired to collect them.
The four institutions involved in the plan have also rented Qingqi-loader rickshaws and handcarts to get across the congested streets, particularly in the old city area and downtown.
The workers will collect the waste from the front doors of houses and bring it to the collection point on the main road, where large vans will pick it up every hour.
The chief executive officer of RWMC chief Rana Sajid Safdar said that Rawalpindi’s urban areas was expected to produce 9,000 tonnes of waste and offal.
The offal will be disposed of using 267 vehicles, rickshaws, and 3,500 handcarts. They will also sprinkle lime across the city. Officers will inspect various collection points and areas across the city throughout the three days, he added.
A helpline has also been set up, and citizens can call it at 1139 to report uncollected waste.
The authorities will also distribute special bags to households in which waste and offal can be collected and placed outside the house. The plan added that 200 truck loaders, rickshaws and handcarts had been assigned by the cantonment boards of Rawalpindi and Chaklala. Around 2,500 personnel will be deployed on sanitary duty. The cantonment areas were expected to produce 3,500 to 4,000 tonnes of waste. Meanwhile, the chief of the district council has deployed 500 workers for cleanliness work in suburban areas.
The waste and offal will be disposed of at a designated dumping ground at the Losar landfill site.
Hide collection
The deputy commissioner has also issued a stern warning to ban organisations, religious entities, madrassas and non-government entities from collecting animal hides without permission. “People who violate the law shall be detained and booked under anti-terrorism laws,” he added. The police and counter-terrorism department have been told to closely monitor collectors.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2023.