Eid al-Adha, also called Eid Qurban or Bakra-Eid, might be celebrated within the metropolis on Saturday, however the goat market of Manimajra, the largest one within the tricity, wore a abandoned look a day earlier than the pageant.
Hardly three to 4 merchants have been seen sitting inside a park behind the Manimajra cremation floor, which in earlier years was once stuffed with goat merchants. Gross sales have additionally been minuscule and the merchants mentioned they hadn’t even bought a 100 goats amongst them.
Mohammad Rashid, one of many greatest goat merchants from Manimajra, mentioned that from promoting about 200 goats a day earlier than Eid, this yr they’ve bought solely 20 goats since Wednesday. “Goats we might have bought for ₹15,000 now promote for underneath ₹10,000. Many individuals have misplaced their livelihoods as a result of lockdown so they aren’t keen to shell out cash to purchase goats for Eid,” he mentioned.
One other dealer Shaqil Mohammad mentioned that some merchants from the town had most popular to promote their goats in different cities: “We had purchased particular breeds of goats from Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, however as a consequence of zero demand, many merchants from the town went to Malerkotla in Sangrur district of Punjab to promote their goats because the demand remains to be excessive there.”
“Groups of the administration have been visiting each couple of hours to make sure that the market doesn’t get crowded and we put on our masks,” added one other dealer, Ashraf Ali.
‘GABBAR SINGH’ PRICED AT ₹1.5 LAKH
The most costly goat on the market this yr has overwhelmed the earlier yr’s report. Though goats from Rajasthan are amongst the priciest, this yr a goat from Amritsar in Punjab has fetched the best worth.
Owned by Pintu of Manimajra, the black goat affectionately referred to as Gabbar Singh, after the bandit chief within the movie Sholay, is round 5 toes tall and weighs over 150 kilos. Final yr, Sheru, an Alwari goat, bought for ₹80,000 on the market.
MASJID HEADS URGE PEOPLE TO STAY HOME
The non secular heads of the key mosques of the town have urged individuals to supply namaz at residence and keep away from visiting mosques. Maulana Ajmal Khan of the Sector 20 Jama Masjid mentioned that each one devotees have been additional urged to observe social distancing whereas celebrating the pageant. Maulana Imran of the Manimajra mosque added that the mosques will stay open, however devotees had been requested to wish from residence.