When the Sindh High Court ruled that the largest cattle market in Asia had to relocate from its legacy location at Sohrab Goth to the more remote Northern Bypass area, it came as a shock for Karachiites, who had been visiting the market for the past 22 years.

For enthusiasts, the cattle market at Sohrab Goth was not only a quintessential feature of Karachi, it was an ornament of nostalgia. Visitors prided themselves in the fact that the market they once visited as children was the same one they brought their children to today. In a way, the cattle market at Sohrab Goth transcended the delineations of time, establishing traditions that were to be handed down from one generation to the next.

Dressed up in his old pajamas and well-worn shoes, 20-year-old Arsalan Majid reminisced the times he used to visit the mandi set up near Sohrab Goth.

“I have not visited the market once and it’s been more than a month since it was set up. Last year, by this time I had gone there five times,” he sighed.

This year, said Majid, the elders of his family have decided to buy their sacrificial animals from a cattle market in Hyderabad. “Some family friend told them it’s safer compared to the Northern Bypass cow mandi,” said Majid, feeling dejected.

Majid’s family is not the only one — social media platforms have been abuzz with rumours of robberies near the Northern Bypass mandi, making people wary and fearful.

Extraordinary ‘boli’ in the general block

Although the market at Sohrab Goth was spread over an area of 960 acres, it was enveloped in housing societies and real estate development schemes which posed various logistical and organisational impediments.

In contrast, nested within the barren plains of the Malir District, the market at the Northern Bypass is somewhat akin to a 750-acre metropolis.

To regulate rentals, the market has been divided into 13 blocks — two ‘VIP’ blocks and eleven ‘General’ ones. The general blocks have been named after provinces and cities from where the animals arrive.

For the first time in its history, the cattle market has also revised its pricing method. The vendors in the general block are expected to pay a one-time fee of Rs4,000 per cow and Rs2,000 per goat. This cost includes the provision of land, water, utilities, etc.

However, the vendors in the ‘VIP’ area are still renting the land to park their livestock — for an area of 30ft by 120ft, the cattle farm owners must pay Rs150,000 for 40 days.

The management has also arranged for portable washrooms. Moreover, there are restaurants, tobacco kiosks, juice stalls and even vegetable vendors, from whom the cattle traders may purchase fresh goods for everyday cooking.

“The mandi in itself is a whole city; you will be able to find everything you need,” said Ali Mohsin, the media associate.

The livestock available for purchase in the general block seem to be ordinary if you cast a wide look; on close inspection, however, you may find something extraordinary — like Boli.

Boli is a two-and-a half-year old cow and is the shortest — almost three feet tall — among all her peers. For this reason, her asking price as per the owner is Rs10 million.

“It’s a special breed, you won’t be able to find anything like her in the whole market,” said Hashim Khan, Boli’s owner.

While the general blocks have basic necessities, the enclosures in the VIP block are decked with ornaments and the biggest and most beautiful animals. The animals on display have been raised on family cattle farms and given specials diets, filled with nutrients to enhance their growth into a size larger than the ordinary ones.

Each tent is owned by a different cattle farm and decorated with thematic colour schemes, ranging from orange and green to pink and white — it’s almost like a local wedding event.

Visitors to these tents are not usually buyers; they are usually there only to admire the cattle on display. “If I had money to spare, I would buy that cow, it’s marvellous,” said Usama Khan, who was accompanied by a group of friends, as he pet a black cow.

“Most of these animals have already been sold; the owners bring them here to display and attract future customers,” explained Mohsin, the media associate.

Money generating pot

According to Yawar Chawla, the media cell in-charge of the cattle market, the mandi is expected to receive over 600,000 animals and hoping to generate an approximate revenue of Rs480 billion for the vendors in the market.

As of now, at the time of publishing, 500,000 animals had arrived in the mandi from all over the country.

The organisers of the market are also set to earn a revenue of Rs2.8 billion from the fees for each livestock as well as rental income from the kiosks and stalls.

According to Chawla, the cattle market has been organised and set up by the Malir Cantonment Board. The land on which the market has been organised is owned by the Sindh government. The government leased out the land to the cantonment board to conduct the operations.

The media associate in a hush tone told Dawn.com that there are army personnel in plain clothes to ensure security. Chawla, however, denied this, saying “only Rangers” are present on ground to ensure security.

A Market for the future

The biggest difference from previous years, according to Mohsin, is the digitisation and organisational superstructure that the cattle market has morphed into this year.

In terms of logistical management and organisation, the site is a marvel, a stark contrast to its predecessors. On arrival, the visitor is expected to park their vehicle in a designated, CCTV-monitored parking space located at the entrance.

For the most part, the market has been pedestrianised to avoid traffic congestion and administrative hurdles that were characteristic of markets in yesteryears. People who can afford a one-time paid entry of Rs1,500 for a car, Rs300 for motorcycle and Rs250 for a pickup — can take their cars inside.

“We have changed the prices. In the initial days, it used to be Rs6,000 for a car with unlimited access to the mandi for all 40 days,” said Mohsin.

On arrival at the market’s marshalling zone, all animals are carefully inspected by a veterinary team for symptoms of three common infectious diseases — Lumpy Skin Disease, Foot and Mouth Disease, and HS (Hemorrhagic Septicemia). If an animal is found to be infected, it is transferred to a specially-designed quarantine facility.

“However, we do miss out on some infected animals during inspection because they stand huddled together,” said Dr Furqan Ali Khanzada.

After the batch is cleared by the veterinary team, the cattle farmer is guided to the data counter where every single animal is counted, tabulated and registered.

A special identity card with a barcode is generated for each vendor. The barcode has all the information of the vendor like biodata, the number and type of animals brought for sale, the water cans assigned and location in the mandi.

A mobile office of Bank Habib Metro has been set up near the marshalling area. The vendors who don’t have bank accounts can set one up and receive their cheque books in two days.

An ATM machine has also been placed at the entrance of the mandi. However, it seems inadequate to deal with the number of people which are expected to visit the market.

Some vendors are taking online payments to facilitate their customers. However, the remote location and absence of cellular service is causing issues.

“It’s been more than an hour, I didn’t get a conformation message from the bank nor has my balance been updated on the app,” said Illahi Baksh from Naushahro Feroze, who had just struck a deal with a customer.

“Online payments make things easier, I am spared of the anxiety that comes with carrying cash,” said Ashir Malik, a buyer who had come from Nazimabad.

“However, snags like this of receiving the notification are troublesome,” said Malik, with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

Speaking about the arrangements in the market, vendor Safiullah Afridi from Khanpur exclaimed: “The management has been very kind to us. Nobody comes and bothers us needlessly,” he added, “The response to any of our issues has been swift.”

This is unlike last year at Sohrab Goth, where the land was continuously allotted and re-allotted causing the vendors to move their cattle around which was an enormous hassle. At the new mandi, no such hassles have arisen — yet.

Safiullah had sold more than seven animals since his arrival nearly a week ago. When pressed about the low footfall, he said delightedly: “We don’t mind the low footfall.”

“At Sohrab Goth, young men used to visit us as a festive activity, haggle for hours and leave without buying,” Safiullah sighed, adding that the low turnout meant that whoever was visiting the market was a serious buyer.

However the low-footfall is worrisome for other vendors in the market.

“People simply aren’t coming,” lamented Abdul Hakeem, who has not sold a single animal even 12 days after his arrival.

“When the market was organised at Sohrab Goth, our cattle used to sell incredibly fast and we were able to make it back home in time for Eid,” he said with despondency.

“I don’t know if they are scared or if it’s too far, but no one is coming. If our batch does not sell, we will have to take it all back,” Hakeem sighed.

Are they here or are they not

As Abdul Hakeem rightly speculated, Karachi has been stricken with fear.

The mandi is strategically located at a junction of three main highways — one springing from Gulshan-e-Maymar, one from 4K Chowrangi, and one sprouting from the Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway, the infamous Northern Bypass road.

For weeks, social media platforms have been humming with increased reports of armed robberies and even killings on the roads leading to the Northern Bypass.

Scores of people on social media have stressed that since the roads leading to the market are surrounded by desert plains or overcrowded slums on both sides, it is easy for robbers to take their valuables and vanish in thin air.

As commuters headed to the mandi are known to carry enormous amounts of money in cash, it makes them a perfect target for armed robbers, who often strike under the darkness of the night, ransack their victims, and disappear into the obscure topography of the land.

Most notable amongst the victims was comedian Wali Sheikh, who claimed to have been robbed of his mobile phone and nearly Rs85,000 on the evening of June 4, when he was en route to the mandi.

Superintendent of Police (SSP) East Zubair Nazeer penned a letter to the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the zone and requested additional deployment of the Special Security Unit to secure the roads leading up to the cattle market. However, when asked about why additional security was needed, the SSP claimed that the letter was part of “normal procedure”.

“The letter should not be taken as a comment on the security situation,” said the SSP.

Gulshan-e-Maymar Station House Officer (SHO) Aurangzeb Khattak, under whose jurisdiction the mandi falls, was of similar opinion. “No First Information Report (FIR) out of the ordinary has been filed,” he told Dawn.com, adding that around 50 additional police personnel had been deputed along the route for patrolling on five mobiles and three motorcycles

Meanwhile, the cattle market’s public relations representative, Ali Mohsin, claimed more than eight police pickets had been installed on the roads coming in from Gulshan-e-Maymar, 4K Chowrangi (roundabout) and Northern Bypass. On a visit to the market last Saturday, however, Dawn.com saw only one police picket along the route.

With regards to the security arrangements inside the market, Mohsin said that the mandi was located within a heavily guarded gated community which is being monitored via CCTV coverage 24/7. “Rangers and police personnel have been deployed,” he said, adding that all of this was being done to alleviate the fear that had spread due to baseless propaganda.

The trepidation around security had sprung up as soon as reports surfaced that the cattle market was being shifted. Firsthand accounts of people, who took to social media claiming to have been robbed, haven’t helped. After Sheikh, another case that blew up last week was of Mr Danish, who was allegedly robbed at Ayesha Manzil, when he was en route to the cattle market.

Talking about the robberies, Mohsin said that the people putting up the posts were ‘en route’ to the market, not in the market.

“Tell me, where do these street crimes not take place in Karachi?” he asked rhetorically.

Albeit a tad callous, Mohsin’s assertions are not completely bereft of the truth. The Northern Bypass’s predecessor, Sohrab Goth, had also been infamous for armed robbery, theft, pickpocketing and occasional ethnic tensions.

Commenting on what he termed were ‘double standards’, Mohsin noted, “It is difficult for people to accept change. The shift has not been easy on us either.”

He further added: “We have had to establish an entire city within the parameters of these walls. But for people, the change is not easy to accept. They focus on the negative instead of appreciating the positive.”

Private Security

Several social media posts highlighting the situation have clearly made an impact on buyers — and created an opportunity — they’re now hiring private security to accompany them to the mandi.

Al Aman Security, a private company is now offering bouncers and guards and has introduced packages especially for mandi visitors.

According to their brochure, people can hire a bouncer for Rs5,000 for eight hours. A Hilux Vigo along with a driver is also available for Rs10,000.

Ahsan Abbas, the head of the project at Al Aman Security, said, “The response has been great, 20 bouncers were hired on the weekend and four bouncers are being hired everyday by people going to the mandi.”

He was of the opinion that the Nothern Bypass route is safe, “It is used by the forces,” he explained .

According to Abbas, only people who had taken routes like Surjani and Gulshan-e-Maymar had become victims of robberies, adding that the mandi was completely safe — his own company has deployed bouncers for it as well.