1.5 lakh goats sold, prices to cross 1L mark Shriram Vernekar

1.5 lakh goats sold, prices to cross 1L mark Shriram Vernekar

Mumbai: Two days before Bakri Eid, prices of some goats for sacrifice crossed the Rs 80,000 mark, and traders say prices may cross Rs 1 lakh in the next 24 hours. More than 1.51 lakh goats have already been sold at the Deonar abattoir and sales are expected to peak on Friday.
    Eid-ul-Azha, commonly known as Bakri Eid, is a threeday sacrifice festival celebrated in the memory of Prophet Ibrahim for the last 4,000 years. The 41-year-old Deonar abattoir has already sold 1.51 lakh of the 1.72 lakh goats it acquired on October 11. In the same period, 2,796 bullocks have also been sold there. While the average rate for goats is between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000, some goats sold for more than Rs 80,000. “Due to security reasons and crowd control issues, celebrities prefer sending their representatives to buy goats. Till a few years ago, even filmstars would come here to buy goats for sacrifice,” said Dr Arun Kshirsagar, senior veterinary officer.
    Goats from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have been brought to Deonar for sale. “When a seller comes with a goat, he has to pay Rs 19 as entry fee to the abattoir. Buyers have to pay a Rs-44 fee (known as removal fee) for taking the goat outside the abattoir.
    “There is no sale or purchase receipt. The deal is done orally. We don’t fix prices here,” added Kshirsagar. The abattoir authorities provide water and medical services to the goats. There are 40 veterinary doctors in the abattoir.
    “The doctors inspect the animals and issue fitness certificates. Apart from this, the abattoir is under CCTV surveillance all the time,” said Kshirsagar.
    Meanwhile, there have been complaints of policemen in the city trying to collect money from goat buyers. “Some cops even asked us to show sale and purchase copies, while the only records we had was the removal charges receipt. The policemen collected hundreds of rupees as bribes,” alleged a goat buyer. In some cases, several groups who claimed to be animal lovers and worshipers allegedly raided various localities and seized animals meant for sacrifice with the help of the police.
‘Decide namaz plea’ T he Bombay high court on Thursday asked the state to decide a fresh application filed by a citizen seeking permission for people to offer namaz during Bakri Eid at the historic August Kranti Maidan. TNN

Goats on sale for Eid at Deonar