KARACHI: Book-lovers lose another source of knowledge: Vendors deprived of livelihood
By Faiza Ilyas
KARACHI, March 12: Many poor families have run into financial trouble after the Gulshan Town administration closed the makeshift book bazaar dealing in second-hand and books and magazines for years. The bazaar used to be held on the vacant plot opposite the Baitul Mukarram Masjid on the main University Road. The administration’s action has been criticised equally by students and teachers who said they had lost a great source of costly books and journals offered at very low prices.
The town administration carried out an anti-encroachment drive about two weeks ago in various localities during which it removed 18 vendors selling used books and magazines on pushcarts from the bazaar.
“This is not the first time we have to close our business. We are considered a nuisance whenever an event takes place. For the IDEAS-2006, we were made to keep our business closed for 15 days,” one of the affected booksellers complained. He suggested that the dislodged vendors be allowed to continue with their business for which a reasonable amount could be fixed as rent. “They accuse us of spoiling the place, but are least bothered about the dirt and filth created by the fruit vendors within the same bazaar,” he argued. Sunday’s downpour aggravated the conditions all around as the solid waste and garbage disposed of by the fruit vendors everywhere in the bazaar created foul smell and ruined the atmosphere of the whole locality when rain created pools of muddy water.
Other book vendors said that they had been doing business here for over a decade. All of them had been paying a fixed monthly amount ranging from Rs200 to Rs1,000 to the local police or the defunct KMC staff. “I support a family of six. I have no other livelihood. I have invested all my savings in this business and now when the negotiations with the town officials on reviving the bazaar have remained inconclusive, I have to look for some other job,” said a vendor who did not want to be identified.
The town administration’s move is also criticised by students and teachers who said that they had been deprived of a major and economic source of knowledge. “Due to the steep rise in the cost of living, second-hand books have become a vital option for students. Students of most educational institutions in and around the Gulshan Town had an easy access to the bazaar and this is why it had become quite popular over the years. It’s unfortunate that instead of establishing more places like these, the authorities are bent upon uprooting the few ones left in the city,” said Naseem Akhtar, a Karachi University student who used to frequent the book bazaar.
Prof Sehar Ansari, also a regular visitor, deplored the town officials’ action and said that these book vendors were doing a great social service. He was of the view that the administration should have set up proper stalls for them instead of removing them. “Students and people like me were benefiting a lot from these vendors who had all sorts of second-hand books to offer at low prices. I have talked to the nazim myself about the matter and told him that if the operation was part of the anti-encroachment drive, why the fruit vendors were not touched. The nazim had no answer,” he observed.
When asked about the matter, Town Nazim Wasay Jalil said: “The open place is a disputed piece of land between the Pakistan Railways and the Railway Society and the case is pending before a court for long. However, the order for the removal of stalls is a part of the town’s anti-encroachment drive. The whole place has turned into a garbage dump and we want to clean it up.”
When asked why the fruit vendors were not removed although they were actually responsible for the unhygienic conditions at the place, he replied that they were also being asked to vacate the place.
Mr Wasay criticised vendors for paying extortion money (Bhatta) to be allowed to do business on a disputed land. “Instead, they should save the money to own a shop and opt for having a legal place for their business,” he advised.
However, he said, the town administration was planning to establish a hawkers’ zone where the affected book vendors could also shift their business.
