Unauthorised animal markets may be a risk but customers say they are closer to home

At the CDGK's six official markets animals are vetted and in better health.

KARACHI: Around 100 illegal cattle markets have been set up in Karachi, despite the imposition of Section 144 by the Karachi Administrator, officials from the city district government department (CDGK) told The Express Tribune.

Small herds of goats and cows can be seen all over the city, being fed and sold from narrow platforms and roadsides. Seeing the increasing number of such ‘markets’ at different junctions in the city, the city government imposed Section 144 CrPC on November 2 for a week. This section will be re-imposed every week till Eidul Azha to discourage illegal and unauthorised ‘bakra peeris’. Under this section, people who have set up illegal markets can be arrested and jailed for up to six months. Moreover, their livestock can also be seized by the police, informed CDGK’s Bashir Khan Sadozai.

The administrator said that the ban has been imposed in view of the traffic jams and sanitation problems that illegal cattle markets are causing throughout the city. The notification issued by him also stated that such markets threaten the peace of the city and pose potential threats to human life and property.

Rasheed, one of the many herders who has breached the CDGK rule on cattle markets, explained that setting up a smaller stall in the city is a lot cheaper. Also, he does not have to worry about too much competition and can lure a sufficient number of customers, who do not wish to travel too far to get their sacrificial animals.

A buyer, Sami Shah, at Rasheed’s cattle market that is located on University Road, said he was there to find out the general price range of animals this year. “It is closer to home and it gives you a fair idea of the different price ranges,” he said, adding that if he finds a good enough deal, he would not mind buying his goat from here.

Others at the market also said that they appreciated the proximity of the market. There is less hassle and lower transportation costs, they said. Akram, another customer, said that the last time he went to the Super Highway to buy a cow for Eid he was looted on the way. “I prefer to buy my animals from the city markets now,” he said.

But with this cheap and accessible service comes the risk of unhealthy animals that may not be fit for slaughtering and worse, might be carrying various diseases such as the Congo virus. On Wednesday, the administrator ordered necessary fumigation at the six official cattle markets of Karachi to prevent such diseases from spreading. However, these illegal stalls are not attended to by the government and thus pose a serious threat to public health.

Moreover, as Sadozai pointed out, people have to realise that despite their apparent convenience, these markets are illegal. The CDGK’s responsibility was to impose the law, now it is the police department’s duty to make sure that the law is being followed, Sadozai said.

The fact that these illegal markets are still functioning shows how efficiently the police is performing its job, blamed another CDGK official.

The official’s sarcasm might not be far off the mark. As another trader, who had set up an illegal market, told The Express Tribune, he pays extortion money to the authorities in order to keep his business running.

The official bakra peeris have been established at six points of entry in the city, outside the residential zones to maintain sanitation and hygiene as well as security. These cattle markets are near the Hub River Road, at the main Super Highway scheme 33, Sector-22 in Shah Latif Town, Bakra Peeri Road in Malir Town, Khurramabad Ground in Landhi and the main Manghopir Road in SITE.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2010.