Efforts to obtain sacrificial animals increased following Eid-ul-Azha

ISLAMABAD, MAY 28 (APP/DNA):As Eid-ul-Azha approaches, the cattle markets are setting up in different specified places of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) including Sangjhani, Sector I-15, Bhara Kahu, Lehtrar Road and Islamabad Expressway in view to facilitate the people.

At I-15 cattle markets, Abdul Shakoor, who brought his animals from Arifwala, shared, “We are satisfied with the market setup specially the availability of essential facilities like water and electricity. ”

He emphasized that water is crucial for maintaining the health and vitality of the animals when temperature was at its peak.

Moin Khan, the manager of the Mandi, highlighted that the market is spanned over 1,000 kanals and is divided into blocks to streamline management.

“We’ve focused particularly on ensuring the availability of water, electricity, and proper security arrangements,” he said.

Each trader has been allotted around 150 to 200 square feet of space to conduct business in an organized way, he said, adding that additional measures have also been taken to ensure safety and prevent any untoward incidents.

The different sizes of cow, goat, sheep and etc available in this mandi with prices seems high as compare to last year.

Sardar Shah, a goat seller from Mianwali quoted that the prices of goat varies from Rs 50,000 to Rs. 350,000 according to their specifications.

While Muhammad Imran, another seller, who brought their cows from Multan, offered price Rs. 230,000 to Rs. 600,000 etc for their bulls depends on their weight and size.

However, residents are enthusiastic about the market’s setup, but got frustration over the high prices of both small and big animals.

A customer, Abdul Manan, who was looking for a sacrificial animal, said, “The market is impressive in scale, but the prices are shockingly high. A goat of average weight is being sold for Rs. 120,000—significantly more than what I paid last year for a similar one.”

On the other hand, traders argued that the costs of rising the animals has increased which forced them to increase the prices.

Sardar Shah, explained, “Everything has become expensive—fodder, transport, and other essentials. Which, affects the final price of the animals.”

Despite high prices, buyers are struggling to find suitable animals for the Islamic ritual. They are actively bargaining to negotiate better prices and remain hopeful of finding their desired animal in the large cattle markets, where animals of all sizes are available.