KARACHI, Dec 2: With the beginning of the third week of Ramazan a sudden surge of customers is being witnessed in different shopping centres and bazaars. Despite the fact that Eid is 12 to 13 days away one could see every shop crowded with buyers, particularly the ready made garments, shoes, Eid greeting cards, general stores which deal mostly with cosmetic varieties.
Besides, regular shopping areas and streets “Bachat bazaars” have also sprung up
at different open places like parks and playgrounds where people with their limited sources have set up stalls of different items and these bazaars are proving their worth as people to avoid traffic problems instead of going to recognised localities of buyers like Saddar, Nazimabad Chandni Chowk, Haideri, Water Pump, Liaquatabad, Bahadurabad, Tariq Road and Clifton area after offering Isha prayers and Taraveeh throng these bazaars.
Most of the shoppers complain that a large portion of items being offered for sale at these bazaars are of inferior quality but agree that the items were available at reasonable rates which further could be worked out to one’s convenience.
As far as cosmetic items are concerned, most of the brand names are either fake or of expiry date as shoppers flock to stalls no one feels it necessity to check the date and quality. Even in the Saddar area, where one could find people selling all sorts of commodities and items on push carts or makeshift stalls, cosmetic items on sale are locally manufactured but are in big demand under beautiful marketing wrappers.
The city government, appeared to be conscious of the unrest owing to unemployment in the city, has adopted a pragmatic policy of allowing respective town governments to allow people to set up stalls at open places so that people could set up their small outlets and accommodate maximum number of people to run business and earn money for maintaining their household affairs.
The established shopping areas in the city have started keeping their shops open late night to provide opportunity to people to purchase items of their choice at competitive prices.
Despite sluggish economy, most of the shopping areas in posh localities are doing a roaring business where people need not to contest prices as they are fixed on each item and make payment without arguing over quality or price.
The police have taken extra care to tighten up security and ensure law and order. In this connection members of law enforcement agencies in uniform and without uniform have been posted at different points to keep an eye on anti-state and anti-social elements.
In shopping areas of middle class and lower middle class like Bohri Bazar in Saddar, Nazimabad, Hyderi, Gulshan-i-Iqbal and even Tariq Road most of the shoppers are for readymade garments as it is not possible to get their new cloth stitched on time. This year, according to an estimate, retail cloth dealers business will remain sluggish due to the salaried class which could not get Eid advance to make preparations for Eid as the salaries are due in the midst of Ramazan-ul-Mubarak so there was no point in demanding Eid advance.
Although the administration has taken certain measures to check influx of beggars from upcountry who usually land in the metropolis on the eve of every religious festival like Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha, they have managed to sneak in the city and one could find women and children in shabby clothes in shopping areas and busy corners.
According to informed sources, beggars from upcountry, particularly from Bahawalpur and the interior, are brought by influential people operating like mafia in the city. Whenever beggars are booked, the mafia acts to get them released.
