Municipal employees' Eid holidays cancelled

Local govt dept bans roadside animal sale

LAHORE:

The Punjab Local Government Department has cancelled the holidays of municipal employees and Suthra Punjab Programme workers until the last day of the coming Eidul Azha.

A meeting was chaired by Local Government Minister Zeeshan Rafique to review the Eid arrangements and approve operational guidelines for the occasion.

The department announced that temporary cattle sale points across Punjab will be made fully operational by Sunday.

It stated that no fee would be charged for buying or selling sacrificial animals this year, continuing the provincial government's policy from previous years.

Minister Zeeshan Rafique said the Punjab Cattle Market Management Company, along with municipal committees, will establish designated sale points in all cities.

He stressed that illegal animal markets and roadside trade would not be allowed.

He ordered that monitoring teams on vehicles conduct round-the-clock surveillance in all cities.

The minister also called for public announcements through loudspeakers on rickshaws and banners at key locations to guide citizens towards designated facilities.

The minister warned that strict action would be taken against those found selling animals outside approved sale points.

He instructed authorities to deliver eco-friendly bags to households performing sacrificial slaughter after surveys and to establish awareness camps in all union councils for transparent distribution.

Regarding waste management, he ordered that offal should be buried locally in rural areas where possible, while in urban areas it should be disposed of in designated pits or transported to dumping sites.

He also instructed authorities that green cloth be used to mark offal collection points.

He said additional resources for the Eid arrangements had been approved by the chief minister and their effective utilisation was essential.

He ordered immediate action on complaints received at central and district control rooms and emphasised special attention to collective sacrifice sites for timely waste disposal.

The minister warned that fines would be imposed on those dumping offal on roads or in drains.

Local Government Secretary Shakeel Ahmed Mian said municipal committees and Suthra Punjab agencies would work in close coordination. He reiterated that no temporary sale point would be allowed except those notified by deputy commissioners, ordering that all facilities, including parking and water, must be ensured at each site.