RAWALPINDI: The largest sacrificial cattle market of the twin cities has been set up at Bhatta Chowk, covering an area of 250 kanals at the junction of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, to facilitate citizens purchases of the sacrificial animals.
As the grand sacrificial ritual of Eid ul Azha approaches, people have started preparing to celebrate it with full enthusiasm.
Open for 24 hours, the temporary set-up will continue until the third day of Eid ul Azha. Any sale or purchase of the animals in areas other than the prescribed market is prohibited.
According to the details, the Rawalpindi Cantt Board (RCB) has imposed certain conditions for the market contractor to maintain discipline and cleanliness inside the market. The sellers and buyers are independent in the price bargaining of the animals; however, buyers have to pay an amount as a token tax, which is different for different animals.
All the stages, from the purchase of the animal to its slaughter, have a special style, due to which cattle markets have assumed special importance, he said, adding that the best possible arrangements have been made for this big activity.
In a brief interaction with APP on Sunday, the Secretary, RCB Rasheed Saqib, informed that maintaining cleanliness and continuous monitoring of animal viruses were the top priorities to be regularly executed.
He informed that the coordinated and joint efforts of the allied departments, including the District Health Department, traffic police, and monitoring teams, were continued, and official teams remained vigilant in that regard.
A variety of animals, including goats, sheep, cows, bulls, and camels, are regularly brought to the market. The marketers said we were expecting a good profit this year. In response to a question regarding the high prices of the animals, they said, “They have invested their time, money, and energies in bringing up the animals, which should be paid back to them.”
A separate wide-car parking area has been set up to further address crowd management in surrounding areas of the market.
Parking fees of Rs. 100.0 and Rs. 50.0 are being charged for each car and motorcycle, respectively, per day.
