The special fund of Rs 2.9 million allocated by Sialkot district government last year for purchasing veterinary medicines for cattle and livestock has lapsed due to the alleged mismanagement, poor planning of the Sialkot EDO (agriculture) office staff as they allegedly could not take any practical step under described policy for purchasing necessary veterinary medicines during the whole of last financial year 2004-05.
At present, there are no medicines for 192,738 Breeding Neeli Ravi buffaloes and 78,233 Cross Breed cows and other thousands of cattle and livestock in all veterinary hospitals, dispensaries, and laboratories of Sialkot district for the last six months due to which the cattle and livestock owners are facing great difficulties as they have been purchasing medicines from their personal pockets.
The self-purchasing of these medicines has added to the miseries of the cattle and livestock owners.
The owners of cattle and other livestock are asked to purchase all required veterinary medicines from their personal pockets although they are unable to purchase these medicines, but the department has no budget for veterinary medicines except vaccination.
Veterinay staff says that the allocated funds of Rs 2.9 million have lapsed but no new budget has yet been allocated for purchasing veterinary medicines. Now, the stocked vaccinations are also in very short quantity. They fear that if any epidemic is spread among the cattle and livestock then the veterinary health department of Sialkot would not be able to tackle the situation.
Sialkot district's all 22 Veterinary Officers (VOs), 92 Veterinary Assistants (VAs) and 36 Artificial Insemination Technicians (AITs) have strongly protested against the alleged harsh aptitude of the EDO (Agriculture) who is also holding the dual charge of EDO (Livestock) with all of his subordinates.
They have unanimously passed a condemnation resolution against the EDO (Agriculture) Sialkot Farman Ali and have sent a written application to Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi and Sialkot DCO Shafqat Ranjha. In that application, Sialkot district's all VOs, VAs and AITs have urged the provincial government to immediately transfer the Sialkot EDO (Agriculture) who has very long posting at Sialkot and has been here for the last 12 consecutive years, violating Punjab government's transfer policy. They said that if the said EDO was not transferred immediately then all the VOs, VAs and AITs would not work under the said EDO's supervision, as all of these veterinary staff in Sialkot have refused to work with the said EDO, as a protest against his alleged abusive language, insulting and disgracing and harsh attitude.
They have also announced to go an agitational strike against the said EDO if he is not transferred from here within a week.
In their application to Sialkot DCO and Punjab Chief Minister they have pointed out that EDO (Agriculture) Sialkot is also the incharge of the veterinary department under the devolution plan of the Local district government system, but he always focused on the development of agriculture sector in Sialkot totally neglecting and ignoring the veterinary health and livestock promotion. They said that being Chief Purchase Officer of this department, the said EDO shows less interest in purchasing medicines resultantly in lapse of the funds of Rs 2.9 million.
After passing this resolution, a cold war has started between the Sialkot EDO (Agriculture) and his subordinates including Sialkot district's all the 22 VOs, 92 VAs and 36 AITs, which has been badly hampering the working of the department, as these officials have refused to work with the said EDO, and have demanded his immediate transfer from Sialkot.