KARACHI, April 20: A good variety of black shoes sit shining around him on a white sheet of cloth. A short stick, with a piece of cloth tied to its head, is waving in his hand. Involuntarily, he moves the mop on the shoes as if to dust them, and chants: “Rs100 a pair, Rs100 a pair.”
Saleem Khan deals in reconditioned leather shoes in weekly bazaars. His business moves from place to place within the city during the week following a trail of these bazaars, also called “Bachat bazaars,” held on different days at different places. His main area of operation is restricted to Korangi- 5, 3-1/2, 2 and Crossing.
Asked how his business is going, spitting naswar to a side, the young man says: “Good. Very good.”
Nearby, Saleem Ahmed, dealing in handbags and some other items of women’s use, is not enthusiastic about his trade. The middle-aged man, who has been in the business for more than a decade, says previously the sale used to be brisk. Now it has slowed down. “So many bachat bazaars have sprung up all over the city that survival has become a challenge.” When they were fewer, he would carry home up to Rs5,000 with a good margin of profit.
A third man, Tariq Mehmood, dealing in spices, says the business is “all right.” A homeopath by training, Tariq is satisfied with what he earns at weekly bazaars. He says earlier he had set up a homoeopathic clinic in Qayyumabad, but it failed to take off. After switching over from one small- scale trade to another for some time, he has settled for the spices business.
People selling vegetables and fruit say they manage to make ends meet. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here,” says Khanzada, a vegetable seller.
Weekly bazaars not only provide hundreds of people with a means of living, they also give consumers an opportunity to save on their money and time.
These bazaars have almost everything of daily use under one roof, which is a tent. The items offered here include clothes, artificial jewellery, crockery, fruit, vegetables, second-hand clothes and shoes, lentils, wheat flour, plastic goods, chicken, mutton and much more. “Think of any thing and it is present here,” says an organizer.
The things most in demand, however, are vegetables. These items are sold here as much as 100 per cent cheaper than at a usual green grocer’s. For instance, if tomatoes are Rs10 a kilo in the bazaar, they would be selling at Rs20 a kilo at a regular shop. “They would be charging much more if there weren’t the weekly bazaars,” remarked a shopper.
In the evening, the number of visitors swells. Women, of course, outnumber men. “Vegetables and most fruits, being perishable items, are sold cheaply in the afternoon. That’s the reason for bigger crowds,” said a vendor.
In fact, for low-income people, these bazaars are a boon. Everything here is markedly cheap. Items, including toothpastes, toilet soaps, cooking oils, ghee and even cold drinks, are sold here at rates lower than at other shops. Several well-known manufacturers of these items set up stalls to hawk their products on a discount.
Besides, the bazaars motivate housewives tied to their daily routines — cleaning, washing, cooking and taking care of children — to have a compulsory stroll to the bazaar and back once or twice a week. Women who do not have a bazaar near home travel to the nearest one, save on their monthly budget for groceries and boost their spirits.
“The women of Clifton and Defence, driven in airconditioned cars and accompanied by servants and maids, are not attracted by the cheaper prices,” said a Gulshan resident. “They spend more on fuel and allied expenses than they save on groceries.”
There are an estimated 183 bazaars spread all over the city. Most of them are held in suburbs where big plots of land are available. The bazaar in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, off University Road, is believed to be the biggest.
Belonging to the defunct KDA, Defence Housing Authority and cantonment boards, the bazaars are also a good source of income for these authorities. That’s why some people seek to establish such bazaars on their private property. The Sindh High Court recently decided a case in favour of an individual whose right to hold a weekly bazar on his land was challenged by the authorities. Nevertheless, a no-objection certificate would be needed to set up such a bazaar.
Periodically, these bazaars are auctioned to the highest bidder. Recently, however, there have been complaints of foul play by town administrations. People allege that some town nazims are driven by favouritism and nepotism while awarding contracts.
There are certain bazaars that are illegal and thrive under the patronage of some high-ups, who allegedly pocket big amounts that should have gone to the public exchequer. The junk-dealers’ bazaars in New Karachi and Korangi could be cited as examples of such bazaars.
Organizers argue that since the bazaars are a welfare institution, they deserve more concessions. “From electricity to sweeping, we have to pay for everything,” says an organizer, Syed Naeem Shah, at Korangi Crossing. “When there is rain or a religious event, there is no bazaar. Which means a big loss to us. But the cantonment people give us no concession in payment.”
The usual charges for a stall are Rs40 for a wooden table. At least two tables are needed for a stall. Those who set up their business on the ground have to pay something between Rs120 and Rs320. The stalls selling branded items pay Rs200 and more. But these may differ from locality to locality.
Organizers say it is natural that they make efforts to attract more and more people to the bazaars. “More people mean more stalls, and consequently more income for us.”
The organizers ensure that no unpleasant incidents such as eve-teasing occur. “We have our men who take care that there is no such complaint.”
The organizers also set up a stall of their own where they hear complaints about short measures and weights and low quality of goods. But there are items prices of which cannot be fixed and they have to be bargained for.
