Punjab

Cattle market auction fails for third time

Contractors refuse to bid above reserved price; board mulls setting its own market

Our Correspondent May 15, 2024

Sacrificial animals at the cattle markets set up at Bata Chowk in Rawalpindi ahead of Eidul Azha. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE

RAWALPINDI:

Despite three attempts, the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board has still been unable to auction off the cattle market contract for Eidul Azha this year as contractors have banded together and set up a pool themselves.

Every year in preparation for Eidul Azha, a cattle market is set up in the Bhata ground in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Last year, the contract for establishing the cattle market was awarded for Rs89.5 million.

This year, bidding for the contract was opened with Rs89.5million as the reserve price. However, the Board has already made three attempts, but have failed to auction off the contract. The contractors have set up a pool and are set upon a bid of Rs56.5 million.

The cantonment authorities have decided in mutual consultation that the last date of open auction will be May 27. If the attitude of the contractors does not change by the appointed date, then instead of auctioning the contract for the cattle market, the Board will set up a market with its own resources on May 28.

The Board has been discussing getting enforcement and staff from other departments for the cattle market. It has also been proposed that the Cantonment staff will collect entry fee for each animal on top of the parking fee. Cantonment Board spokesperson Rashid Saqib, said that if the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board establishes cattle markets with its own resources, the Cantonment Board can earn Rs120 to Rs150 million, which would actually be much more profitable than the contract awarded last year.

So now it has been decided that the last chance to submit bids to the contractors will be given on 27th May. “If the auction process of cattle markets is affected by the pooling of contractors, then the Cantonment Board, which has the human resources to set up the cattle markets, will itself set up the cattle markets,” said the spokesperson.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2024.