May 17, 2008	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 11, 1429

KARACHI, May 16: The shopkeepers have started flexing their muscles to protest against the government’s decision to close markets by 9:00pm. They, however, say that they are finalising their own plans to conserve energy through joint efforts.

In Karachi there is large number of markets such as furniture, paper, chemicals, and wholesale commodities, etc where traders pull up their shutters at 1:00am and close down after Maghreb prayers. These shops are mostly located in the district South.

The real problem will be for the traders doing business in shopping malls and centres, big retail markets of garments, shoes, household items, etc who operate till 10:00 to 11.00pm

However, shops located in residential areas are usually closed after midnight.

In January this year, the issue of early shops closure by 7:30pm had surfaced but it could not be implemented owing to huge uproar by the small traders.

Chairman of small traders committee of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Abdul Majeed Memon said the KCCI would again strongly oppose the early market closure as it would adversely affect their business.

The government should find other ways and means to handle the power crisis as the KESC and the government had already failed during the last eight years to come up with new power generation plans.

President of Traders Action Committee Siddiq Memon said that the peak shopping season will kick off from June to August after closure of schools. Many shopping festivals are being planned by the traders in big shopping malls.

Traders cannot afford to lose their business when the peak shopping timings, especially for families, start from 6:00pm and last till 10:00pm during summer, he added.

Traders belonging to other markets held a meeting on Thursday and decided to strongly protest in case they were forced to close their shops by 9:00pm by the government, he said.

Traders, he said, have decided to curtail their power consumption by 50 per cent by keeping the air-conditioners off for four hours instead of two hours as recommended for the government offices.

Mr Memon said that 10 million energy savers will be imported, besides switching off the neon signs. “By taking these measures an estimated 70MW could be saved,” he added.

He, however, said that the traders had supported the closure of markets on Friday and keeping them open on Sunday. According to KESC early market closures can save 80-100MW and this saving can help in reducing long hours of