February 19, 2008	Tuesday	Safar 11, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 18: In the election 2008, groups of industrialists and traders with varied interests supported political parties that they perceived would help them after assuming power.

Many banners and hoardings in Karachi indicated that the business community supported the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the hope that it would form the next coalition government in Sindh, probably with the help of the Pakistan People’s Party, which is tipped to be the winner in Monday’s vote. Many businessmen or their groups have also supported the PPP and its candidates.

Many hoardings and banners of the All Karachi Plastic Bags Manufacturers and Dealers Association and traders of Saddar Electronics Market were seen in various areas of the city.

The manufacturers and dealers of plastic bags had offered support to the MQM of 30,000 families connected with the industry making and selling plastic bags.

Obviously, they wanted the new government to lift the ban, which was imposed on the manufacture and sale of polythene bags by the previous government in February 2006.

The Sindh Prohibition of Manufacturing, Sale and Use of Polythene Bags Act, 2006, banned the manufacture, sale and use of polythene bags under 30 microns’ thickness. The punishment for violation of the law is three-month imprisonment and a fine of Rs50,000 or both.

The Sindh Environment department and the Karachi City District Government had moved together against the manufacturers and dealers of banned polythene bags.

But the government campaign against the polythene bags failed to provide positive results as the thin, non-biodegradable bags are seen littering the city streets again.

The government high-ups are of the opinion that the results of the campaign could be made effective only after enhancing the thickness of the banned plastic bags from 30 microns to 100 microns.

The traders of Karachi Electronics Market also supported the MQM by displaying hoardings and banners.

The dealers of electronic goods, it seems, want the new government’s support to get their problems resolved.

Dealers said that they had been facing frequent and unannounced electricity breakdowns, which caused them huge losses. Many shopkeepers allegedly use ‘kunda’ to get the electricity supply. Last month, fire broke out in the electronic market because of the ‘kunda system’.

Another problem they had been confronting is raids by the police on their shops for allegedly selling and purchasing of snatched mobile phones. Many a time violence erupted at the electronics market as traders protested after the police arrested many shopkeepers for their alleged involvement in the crime.

Talking to Dawn, President of Karachi Electronics and Small Traders Association, Mohammad Irfan, denied that shopkeepers were involved in the sale and purchase of stolen mobile phones because cell-phones had now become very cheap.

He said the electronics items from China had rendered the locally-manufactured items and those imported from other sources uncompetitive adversely affecting their sales.

Mr Irfan said there was a parking problem in the market area, street lights were not functioning, footpaths were in bad shape and roads dug by various civic agencies were not filled and carpeted for months. He expressed the hope that the next government would concentrate on solving these problems.