LAHORE: Ahead of Eidul Azha, unusual rush of citizens for buying sacrificial animals was witnessed on the last Sunday before Eid in the cattle markets of the city, which were established at seven different localities of the city. These markets were setup by district administration in collaboration with the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore and Cattle Market Management Company Lahore. Excited children with their parents and elders were witnessed in almost all official cattle markets and temporary stalls of sacrificial animals along sides of roads for buying the goats, sheep, cows, and camels. Customers were seeing bargaining with the owners of cattle for bringing down the rates. Meanwhile, vendors also remained obstinate and used tactics for satisfying the customers to sell animals at high rates. The massive rush of citizen was observed at markets in the evening which remained at its peak until late in the night. The stalls of sacrificial animals alongside roads caused traffic jams at several areas of the city like Wahadat Road, Iqbal Town, Multan Road, Samnabad, Icchra and Chuburji. Meanwhile, traffic wardens remained busy in maintaining the traffic flow on roads. Deputy Commissioner Lahore Anwarul Haq has imposed Section 144 to curb the illegal sale points in the city as per the directions of Home Department. The legal sale points are a security hazard and also create hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic which poses as danger to human life and property and disturbs public peace and tranquillity as well. At the Shahpur Kanjra Mandi and some areas of the city, it was observed that the average price of a small animal fell between Rs 35,000 to Rs 150,000. The range of cow price is between Rs 100,000 to 300,000 and camel’s price starts from Rs 180,000. Meanwhile, extraordinary healthy animal prices are available for Rs 500,000 and so on. A buyer, Bilal Butt while talking exclusively to Daily Times said that he was coming at the cattle market on a daily basis with his friends and his father for the last four days, but the rates of animals are too high. “Cattle sellers are not ready to give the animal on a reasonable price,” he said adding that he was adamant to negotiate. A seller at Shahpur Kanjra Mandi belonging from Sargodha, said that “we are demanding reasonable prices for the sacrificial animals because we have spent a lot of money on their looking after”. He said that the rates of fodder have been much higher as compared to last year’s and other expenses which they are bearing at the mandi. He said that they were just earring 15-20 percent of the animal which was their right. Published in Daily Times, August 20th 2018.