LAHORE - The Punjab government is amending the Animals Act to award strict punishment to the sellers of unhealthy meat in the province.
The amendment will be carried out through the Punjab Assembly most probably during the next session due to start on October 7. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has approved the summary to amend the Act which will be put before the House as bill. The amendment has been sought to enhance up to eight years of jail and fine up to five lakh rupees for the offence of selling meat of dead animal and jail up to six months and fine up to one lakh rupees for selling meat of the animal under the permissible age or that of the she-goat. It may be mentioned that Punjab has been badly caught up by the malady of selling unwholesome meat and even that of the animals which are prohibited to eat in normal circumstances under the injunctions of Islam.
During crackdown conducted by district administration and especially constituted teams of the Punjab Food Authority large quantity of haram and insalubrious meat was recovered in the recent days from Lahore and other parts of the province.
The government has also set up task force to prevent selling of the unhealthy meats while people are educated through bill boards and banners to contact the department through toll free number to complaint against the sale of unhygienic, substandard, and unhealthy meat. Also, Shahbaz Sharif appreciated the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order, police and law-enforcement agencies for making foolproof security arrangements across the province on Eidul Azha. He said that police and concerned institutions performed their duties efficiently and diligently for ensuring an atmosphere of peace on Eidul Azha.
The chief minister said that performance of police officers and Jawans was commendable with regard to protection of life and property of citizens and police and law- enforcement agencies deserve appreciation. He said that the same spirit of efficiency and hard work should be displayed in future as well.
The chief minister also lauded the performance of concerned authorities and administration towards making best cleanliness arrangements in cities of Punjab including Lahore on Eid.