KARACHI, June 9: Traders on Friday gave a mixed reaction to early closure of shopping centres and markets as per government’s order. Majority of shopping areas witnessed a chaos owing to some harassment like situation, while electrical and electronic dealers decided to support the government’s move.

In many markets situated on the main roads like Tariq Road, Saddar, etc., a Ramazan-like situation was observed when both shoppers and traders were seen striving hard to reach their homes in traffic jams.

Chairman Tariq Road Trader Action Committee Siddiq Memon told Dawn that the market was completely shut down by 8.45pm on the first day of closure order.

Customers who were unaware of the government’s move looked really agitated as they had entered the market after 6.00pm.

There was a big traffic jam at Tariq Road at 8.00pm when traders and shoppers had simultaneously gathered at the roads. This was the time when many people were also returning from their offices. This was a peak sales period owing to ongoing marriage season. Besides, schools were also closed and many families preferred to shop in the evening with their children.

“Traders are not happy over this decision as it will seriously hurt their daily sales,” Mr Siddiq Memon said, adding that “Tariq Road has more than 8,000 shops in which on an average three workers are employed.”

“If the consumers really witness no power outages after the closure of markets at 8.00pm then traders are ready to sacrifice their sales. But in case load-shedding continues after 8.00pm or in the mornings/evenings then it is an unjustified move,” he said. On Friday the market was out of light for several hours from afternoon to evening with intervals of two to three hours, he added.

He said that the cut in trading hours may prove disastrous for the workers as shopkeepers may start layoff. He urged the government to extend the deadline of shop closure to 9.00pm.

Alliance of Market Association (AMA) chairman Atiq Mir told Dawn that 90 per cent of the traders were not in favour of closure of shops in the peak hours of business as 30-40 per cent business actually took place after 5.00pm.

“What business community do when there is no light in the afternoon or evening,” he said, adding that closure of business after 8.00pm would inflict a daily loss of Rs300-400 million in terms of sales.

There has been a shopping culture after 5.00pm in Karachi and it remains on the peak level till 9.00pm and subsides at 11.00-12.00 midnight depending on the items.

Answering a query that some office-bearers of market associations were also giving a helping hand to the government for making the move a success, Mr Atiq said that traders were actually not happy over this decision but some office-bearers were backing the move to get place in the government’s good books.

Traders usually pull up their shutters after 10.30am and do a roaring business till night. In some specific business, shops beam up with lights and chilled A/Cs but it is another question as to how much they pay their bills to the KESC under some understanding or operating their business on kunda (illegal connection).

Mr Atiq said that the business community was not taken into confidence before implementing the decision. An understanding could be reached between the shopkeepers and the KESC for keeping off 50pc lights of the shops to offset the shortfall of power in the city.

Karachi Electronic Dealers Association (KEDA) president Abdul Waheed Memon said that the association had decided to open shops at 10.00am and closure at 8.00pm. Earlier the markets opened on 11.30am and closed at after 10.30pm.

“We have issued a circular to our members having 7,000 shops in 190 markets all over the city,” he said, adding that the association was ready to suffer sales losses for the sake of consumers unless the KESC overcame with the load-shedding problems. “Our sales will drop by 20pc but we can cover it with change in business hours,” Waheed added. However, KEDA executive member Shahid Ali Sehar said that sales would fall by 30 per cent.