Eid preparations: 10 vets to check sacrificial animals entering city

Camels are among the animals being brought into Karachi for Eidul Azha. Ten veterinary doctors have been posted at checkpoints to inspect the animals coming into the city. PHOTO: INP

KARACHI: At least 10 veterinary doctors will be conducting health examinations of all sacrificial animals that enter the city, according to high court directions on Tuesday.

This order came on a lawsuit instituted by a private contractor, Sahib Dino, who had gone to court against the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), saying the corporation had granted him contract to recover the fee on sacrificial animals.

His lawyer told the judges that while the plaintiff possesses official permission to collect fee till July 2014, the KMC officials have suddenly directed the plaintiff to stop recovering the fee in violation of the contract. The lawyer pleaded the court direct the KMC officials not to harass his client.

Headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, the bench was surprised to learn that only one veterinary doctor was posted at each of the two entry points of the city. Assistant advocate general Hamidur Rehman proposed that at least 10 doctors be deployed at each entry point to ensure each and every animal entering the city is properly examined so that deadly viruses, such as Congo does not spread. The bench also appointed the court Nazir to conduct surprise visits at the entry points to make sure these orders were being followed.

Collection of hides

Another bench, headed by Justice Ghulam Sarwar Korai, directed the law enforcement agencies to provide adequate security to the alKhidmat Foundation’s camps to be established across the city to collect the hides of sacrificial animals during Eidul Azha.

Muhammad Younus Barai, the vice president of alKhidmat for district West, had taken the provincial home secretary, director general of Rangers, city police chief, DIGs South, West and East to court. The petitioner said the foundation sells hides to raise money for its welfare initiatives. It is the responsibility of the local administration to control the law and order situation that erupts over the collection of hides on Eidul Azha over the past few years but, due to dereliction of duty of the local administration, parts of city remained in the grip of violence.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2013.