Shopkeepers at the Bhati bird market in Lahore have accused the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) of demolishing its building without giving them proper notice, allegedly resulting in the deaths of several birds and animals who were still inside.
According to local media, the market located near Data Darbar has been declared an encroachment, with the Punjab government demolishing it as part of a remodeling project aimed at reducing traffic in the area and lowering emissions that foster smog and pollution. Traders of the market said they had been in contact with both the LDA and the deputy commissioner’s office, adding an initial agreement called for the government to compensate them for their shops before the demolition. They said the traders had agreed to evacuate of their accord within two days.
However, they said, the LDA brought heavy machinery to the market around 4 a.m. on Wednesday and razed over 150 shops. They claimed that several shops still had cages with various animals—cats, dogs, rabbits—and birds inside them, adding they were buried under the debris. The traders allege several of the birds and animals inside the shops were extremely valuable. They have accused the LDA of causing them millions in losses.
Animal rights activists and welfare organizations have condemned the incident, criticizing authorities for failing to ensure the safe relocation of the animals housed within the building before its demolition.
“If the market was built illegally, demolish it, but move the tiny lives first,” read a statement issued by the Tahira Animal Welfare Foundation. “Those cats, dogs, birds, and rabbits were not criminals. They were living, breathing beings who depended on humans for mercy,” it added.
The LDA has rebutted the shopkeepers’ allegations, claiming the shops were built unlawfully over 16 kanals of state land. “There are no reports of birds killed during operation, as the shopkeepers had already taken out all of them and other goods from their shops,” said a spokesman. “And if they have any solid proof, show us,” he added.