Considering the large number of animals that will be slaughtered today, the Sindh government allocated designated areas in Karachi for slaughter a few days back, by issuing a notification. The idea is certainly a welcome one, and it would help in keeping Karachi clean, which becomes a site of bad odour and waste every Eid-ul-Azha. But in practical terms, there are no facilities in these designated sites for slaughtering animals. Thus, expecting people to comply with the instructions to make collective sacrifices is unrealistic.
And things would only get worse once the slaughtering starts. Since the allocated slaughter sites are mere empty plots, the emergency plans for the removal and disposal of the remains of animals will not be utilised. The provincial government needs to understand that announcing a policy a day or two before Eid via a notification does not mean it’s workable immediately.
What the provincial government is trying to do this Eid is a standard practice in many countries. However, those countries provide all necessary facilities at such sites. But the district authorities had yet to prepare all such places as of Friday.
Reliance on adhocism has always proved a hurdle for officials whenever they go for a quick fix. In the present case too, the notification regarding collective slaughter sites is an exhibit of an ill-considered solution to one of the most pressing problems on the eve of Eid. The authorities need to ask themselves this: why should citizens come to these spots if no system is in place? They cannot pin the blame on citizens for non-compliance as the authorities failed in setting up the essential facilities. Hopefully next year, this policy will have more practical thought behind it.