With Lahore’s economic situation dwindling, people are finding new ways to earn a living. One of the many innovative ideas people have come up with is providing fruit and vegetable vendors light-emitting diodes (LEDs) attached to a battery for Rs40 to Rs70 per day depending on the location and the type of light.

The lights are delivered to customers around 5pm and later picked up between 2am and 4am. A customer also has an option to rent a double LED rod for Rs70 to Rs100 a day.

The fruit market near Jain Mandir, a temporary establishment, starts getting populated in the evening after offices in the area are closed. The vendors are satisfied with these lights.

“These lights provide us a huge benefit. Earlier, we used to bring with us gas lamps that would cost us around Rs150 per day; we would bear the maintenance charges as well. So, now we get to save Rs100 per day and don’t have to worry about maintenance,” said Shabbir, a fruit vendor at the market.

The LED lights are available in different colours also. If someone is selling mangoes, he rents out a yellow light and for apples, a red light, making the stall attractive and eye-catching.

Ali, one of the providers of LED lights at Jain Mandir, said: “We have to face a lot of issues regarding maintenance. Traffic police sometimes object to the location of the fruit vendors claiming they hamper traffic flow. They also seize the lights and battery sometimes and we have to get them recovered.”

Ali owns 40 batteries and rents out each at Rs40 per day. Some fruit vendors arrive at his shop in the evening to get the lights and battery on rent and return them around 2am.

Vicky is another owner with a shop in Thokar Niaz Beg.

“We charge them Rs70 per day, and if they choose to pick up and drop back the lights themselves we charge Rs50 per day. Since we don’t ask them to deposit an amount as security, there is a huge risk of not getting the battery back, which has happened to me.”

Vicky also delivers lights to Johar Town, Wapda Town and adjacent areas and picks them up late at night to charge them for the next day.

The business is growing fast in the city, that is why the owners are trying to set up a union to lay down rules and regulations, including the condition that a fruit seller renting LED lights and battery must deposit a security fee.

Few shop owners at Thokar Niaz Beg got together recently and signed a memorandum regarding the security fee condition but it had not been implemented yet.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2014