Cattle traders offered free sale points

Govt bans leaves of municipal staff in Eid season

LAHORE:

The Punjab government has decided not to charge any fee from sacrificial animal traders at all sale points to be set up ahead of Eidul Azha.

The animal sale points will be established on a no profit-no loss basis, Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafique said while presiding over a video link meeting of the chief officers of municipal bodies across Punjab. The department’s pan for the Eid was finalised in the meeting.

It was decided that leaves of municipal staff would be banned during 10 days before and three days after the Eid.

The minister issued directives that eco-friendly bags should be provided free of cost to every house where sacrifice will be conducted so that disposable of the waste could be made easy.

Zeeshan Rafique said the municipal staff should arrange the disposal of waste without waiting for the deadline.

The minister sought the strategies for the occasion in writing from every municipal committee and asked the chief officers to display their mobile phone numbers at prominent places.

A provincial monitoring cell will be established in the local government secretary’s office.

The minister said the elected representatives of each area should also be included in the monitoring process. "Negligence in cleanliness will not be tolerated during the Eid holidays," he warned. He said immediate action should be taken on media reports regarding in this regard.

He warned that he would make unannounced visits to the sale points in different cities to assess the provision of facilities. The chief minister had conveyed instructions that there should be no compromise on cleanliness arrangements, he added. He directed the senior officers of the department to carry out field visits to ensure the implementation of the instructions.

Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmad Mian said written instructions had been issued regarding the Eid functions and all chief officers should ensure their implementation.

He said the network of the Suthra Punjab programme should also be utilised for cleaning arrangements on Eidul Azha.

Additional Secretary Maria Tariq and the secretary of the Local Government Board also attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Rafia Haider announced that 10 cattle markets will be established in Lahore for selling sacrificial animals.

Chairing a meeting, she said responsibilities for the arrangements in the markets had been assigned to the assistant commissioners in each tehsil.

The DC instructed the assistant commissioners to visit the proposed sites along with officials of the relevant departments to ensure basic arrangements in the cattle markets.

The livestock department will ensure protective sprays at checkpoints, while the traffic police will complete a plan to maintain smooth vehicular flow around the cattle markets.

No buying or selling of animals will be allowed outside the designated cattle markets, and any such activity within the city will face regulatory action, she added.

The Dc said all possible measures would be taken for the convenience of the traders and buyers. A help desk will be established in each cattle market to assist citizens, and the Lahore Waste Management Company has been instructed to maintain cleanliness in all markets, she said.

With additional input from APP

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2024.