Then there were two : Unlawful cattle market attracts more crowds

Admin vows to remove illegal I-11 cattle market

ISLAMABAD: The city managers have cried foul at the establishment of an illegal cattle market at Sector I-11, seeing it as a ‘deliberate act’ to undermine the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

This year the authority has established the cattle market at Sector I-12 instead of Sector I-11, where it used to be previously.

Apparently unaware of the decision, vendors who used to bring sacrificial animals every year to the capital before Eidul Azha, along with buyers, preferred to stay with the previous site at Sector I-11/2.

On Tuesday, the illegal cattle market grew larger than the approved market at Sector I-12. Seeing the rush of buyers at Sector I-11, many animal dealers also moved from the legal site to the illegal one, creating a difficult situation for the authority.

“After taking bribes from animal dealers, Islamabad Police allowed trucks to enter the illegal I-11 market,” alleged an official of CDA’s municipal administration. Despite our repeated requests, the ICT Administration did not take any action resulting in an influx of hundreds of vendors into the illegal market, he explained.

The civic agency also approached the Sabzi Mandi Police Station for registration of FIR against the illegal cattle dealers operating in I-11/4. In its application, available with The Express Tribune, it was mentioned that the sole approved and designated site for the sale of sacrificial animals is at Sector I-12/2.

The authority said police should register a case against the illegal vendors and close the illegal purchase point.

CDA spokesperson Ramzan Sajid said the situation had been conveyed to the administration. “It has assured all out support to the authority to close down the illegal market,” Sajid said, adding that staffers of municipal administration along with police will carry out an operation against the illegal market operators and animal vendors tonight (Tuesday).

Talking to The Express Tribune, CDA Municipal Administration Director Capt (retd) Tahir Shahbaz said CDA was providing free transport facility to vendors who unknowingly established their camps at the old site.

“Many animal vendors were shifting their animals from I-11/4 to I-12/2,” he added.

He said sufficient arrangements including supply of clean drinking water for animals, camps of veterinary doctors, security staff deployment, site electrification, proper places for animal loading and unloading, public toilets, car parking for buyers and directional sign boards, among other things, have been made at the approved site. “There is no such arrangement in place at Sector I-11, which could cause extreme unhygienic conditions for buyers, animals and their dealers,” Shahbaz added.

On the other hand, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Capt (retd) Mushtaq Ahmed rebutted the claim saying the “whole responsibility in this regard rests with CDA.”

He said the administration was not even informed beforehand about the shifting of the cattle market.

“The issue came to our knowledge on Tuesday afternoon. A magistrate also visited the area, and announced imposition of Section 144 on the spot,” Ahmed said. Due to chances of a possible law and order situation, the administration has decided to act after culmination of peak buying hours on Tuesday night, he added.

He said the Islamabad Police chief has been apprised of the problem.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th,  2015.