Butchers, whether trained or untrained, have made all arrangements to do a roaring business on Eidul Azha in the provincial metropolis. Under sizzling heat, the expert butchers are not only in short supply, but they are also charging advance exorbitant amounts in the city.
They are deemed as a rare commodity especially on the first day of Eidul Azha, ans they get innumerable orders despite demanding exorbitant charges for their services.
Experienced butchers are charging as high as Rs15,000 to Rs 20,000 for the first day of Eid for slaughtering a cow, as most of the wealthy people prefer sacrifice on the first day of Eid. For a cow or buffalo, they are demanding Rs15,000-18,000, which is extremely a high rate and out-of-reach for a salaried class or a white-collar person, Muneebur Rehman, a resident of Thokar Niaz Baig, told media. He said experienced butchers were demanding Rs10,000 for slaughtering a sheep or a goat. The sacrificial animals are not cheap these days, and butchers too are expensive, Muneeb said.
He argue that those who can afford to buy a cow for Rs150,000 can easily afford spending another Rs18,000 to 20,000, he said, adding that it had forced most people to book their butchers for the second day of Eid for the sake of affordability. In posh areas including Bahria Town, DHA, Lahore Cantt., the services of professional butchers had been hired on advance payments.4
