‘Keep city clean on Eid-ul-Azha’

Lahore :Muslims sacrifice their animals on Eid-ul-Azha. Cleanliness is half of faith so animal waste must be kept in the bags provided by Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC). This is to keep streets clean. If animal waste is seen in any street, complain can lodged on help line 1139. Workers of LWMC will respond within not time and waste will be removed.

These views were expressed by the speakers at a seminar on "Advice of Cleanliness on the Eid" jointly organised by LWMC and Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman Memorial Society (Jang Group of Newspapers). ETPB Chairman Siddiq ul Farooq, LWMC Chairman and Lahore Mayor  Mubsher Javaid were the chief guests on the occasion.

Bilal Mustafa, MD, LWMC, Afzal Shah of OOZ Pak, Dr Talat Naseer Pasha of UVAS, Dr Ghaya ul Nabi, principal, Ameer ud Din Medical College, Dr Rashid Zia, principal/MS, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, Dr Arfa, head of Environment Department, Lahore College for Women University, Ayesha Bukhsh, senior anchor of Geo TV, Sehrish Riaz, Maulana Abul Khubair, Muhammad Farooq Chohan, columnist, Bushra Butt, MPA, member LWMC Board of Directors, Usman from Albyrak also participated in the event. Siddiq ul Farooq said cleanliness was the duty of every citizen. It is duty of every citizen to participate in the campaign for cleanliness, he added. Sacrifice is for God. Moreover, economy grows, he said.

Mubsher Javaid said that Eidul Azha was not only a festival rather it an occasion for sacrifice. He also stressed the citizens to be careful during buying animal on the occasion. "Lahore is our city, we should care for its beauty," he added.

Bilal Mustafa said, "We will take measure of collective sacrifice in the coming years. We are planning for that." Dr Ghaya ul Nabi said that there was huge difference of environment between rural and urban areas. Animal are purchased from the rural areas. Diseases can be transferred to people if the animal is infected with some disease. Majority of people store meat by freezing which is not good for health, and during Eid days, the complications of heart, blood pressure and diabetes are observed. Bushra Butt said, "Our workers seem busy in the cleanliness of the city. If we do collective sacrifice of animals, social burden would be minimised."

Dr Talat Naseer Pasha said that animal should be brought to slaughterhouses now. People don’t know where and how to revove the hide/skin of animals. Prices of hide become less if there are cuts on it. Ayesha Bukhsh said that everyone was responsible for the cleanliness. "Everyone of us has to play our role collectively. There is a huge class difference. The situation of cleanliness is different in different areas of the city. Afzal Shah said that 739,000 bags would be distributed on the eve of Eidul Azha. Moreover, 5,000 workers would be in the field. Senior Editor, Health, Education and Current Affairs of Jang Wasif Nagi elaborated that animal waste in the street caused many diseases. It also pollutes the environment, he said. There is a dire need to create awareness among people, he concluded.