RAWALPINDI: As many as 259 religious seminaries, organisations and purchasers of skin allowed to set up stalls for collection of animal hides during three days of Eidul Azha and rejected five applications of the religious seminaries and organisations.

The Punjab government has imposed a ban on collection of animalhides without permission so that no banned outfit can get involved in hide collection. The government has issued a notification directing the administrationto allow only those organisation, group or trust which get Non-Objection Certificate (NoC) from the districtadministrationto collect the hides.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema told Dawn that as many as 264 organisations, trusts and religious seminaries as well as purchasers submitted their applications to get NoC from the administration.

“After getting report from Special Branch and districtintelligence committee, we rejected five applications and provided NoC to 259 applicants,” he said and added that there were directions to administrationand local police to not allow anyone other than the applicant to collect animalhides.

Total 147 Madaris submitted applications and three requests rejected while NOC was given to 144 seminaries. As many as 22 non-government organisations (NGOs) and trust had applied for NoC but one NGO’s request was rejected. As many as 95 purchasers of skin also applied for the NoC but one of them was rejected.

The deputy commissioner said that the administration had imposed section 144 in those areas of the districtwhere collective slaughtering was taking place to avoid snatching or collecting animalhide forcibly.

He said the districtadministration had also imposed ban on dumping animalwaste in and around Noor Khan Airbase to keep birds from flying over runway. He said that the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company and Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation would check the area around the runway.

He said that to avoid congo virus, the districtadministrationput all the tehsil headquarters hospitals on high alert and asked to make arrangements to deal with such cases.

He said that the administration had already deployed veterinary staff on the entry and exist points of the districtto keep an eye on animals to avoid spread of congo fever. He said that heatstroke control room also established in all tehsil headquarters hospital after the Met Office prediction of heatwave.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Hassan Waqar Cheema has said that with the joint efforts of the district administration and Rawalpindi Waste Management Company, a clean and healthy environment will be ensured on the occasion of Eidul Azha.

He directed the district administration officials to keep a close watch on the operation and prioritise the convenience of the citizens at all costs. In order to make the cleaning arrangements effective and coordinated.

He visited the central control room of Rawalpindi Waste Management Company. ADC General Hasaan Tariq was also with him on this occasion. CEO Rawalpindi Waste Management Company officials said that the control room has been equipped with a modern monitoring system to ensure timely removal of garbage across the city, ensure cleanliness, and respond promptly to citizen complaints.

The briefing said that the company has deployed additional staff, machinery, and special teams in all areas, while helpline and WhatsApp numbers have also been activated for citizens.

They said that during the Eid days, waste collection points, vehicle movement, and staff performance are being monitored through modern digital dashboards and CCTV cameras, while data of public complaints is immediately transmitted to the relevant zones.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2025