EVERY time Eid-ul-Azha comes, it comes with a few issues for the government to attend to. With Eid-ul-Azha only three days away, cattle markets started drawing buyers. The rush will intensify as Eid approaches. And, what the government needs to look into includes the management of the cattle market, their administration and the safety and security of both traders and buyers. In the capital city, the city authorities, for an example, have leased 22 cattle markets, with the trading officially set to run from today until Eid. But, it has been reported on many locations, the markets have extended onto the roads or public spaces, creating inconvenience for people. The authorities should stop this from happening because this adds to congestion and harms people’s movement. The authorities and lease-holders should also ensure that the wastes that are generated at the markets are cleaned so that they do not create any health concern, as much for the traders and the buyers as for the animals. Besides, theft of animals has already been reported at some markets. The government should step up safety and security for the traders and the buyers so that they are not robbed or mugged.
Local government authorities such as city authorities, municipal corporations or upazila administration should also remain prepared to clean roads, public spaces, grounds, fields and yards after the sacrifice of the animals. Every Eid-ul-Azha, the authorities begin the cleanliness drives right after the sacrifice. And, the authorities claim, as it has been observed in the past, to have cleaned the cities, towns and other outlying areas in 24 hours or so while, in fact, animal wastes remain littered or piles of wastes remain dumped by the roads or on open spaces, adding to the health issues. The authorities are noticed to have made such claims, in many cases, only to boast of its capacity and sincerity. It is true that some areas are instantly cleaned, but it is also true that it takes days to clean some other areas. The government should ensure that this does not happen, not only around this Eid but also on all such occasions in future. It remains tortuous for people to navigate along roads, open spaces and grounds when they remain littered with wastes as soon as people get back to the busy life after the Eid holidays.
The authorities should, therefore, effectively manage the cattle markets and ensure safety and security of traders and buyers at the markets and on their way to and back from the market before Eid. They should also remain adequately prepared to clean the roads and spaces where animals are sacrificed. And, this should happen not only in Dhaka or other cities but also across the country.
