KARACHI, Nov 24: Shopping spree in the city on Monday night touched its peak with a number of people, including women and children, thronging various shopping centres to prepare for celebrating Eidul Fitr with religious zeal and fervour.

A heavy crowd of women and young girls can be seen at bangle shops while men and children visiting shoe stores to make final purchases on the eve of the biggest Muslim festival, marking an end to the fasting month of Ramazan.

The other shops which are attracting a large number of buyers are that of ready-made garments as traditionally people like to wear new apparels on Eid, likely to celebrated on Wednesday depending on the moon sighting for the month of Shawwal.

A large number of women flocked shops, offering henna (Mehndi) paste, which is traditionally used on palms on such festive occasions. A heavy rush of women can be seen at Karimabad’s Meena Bazaar where a large number of ‘Mehndi’ shops are situated.

Most of the jewellery shops, which remain closed in day time during Ramazan, are also doing roaring business till midnight in the last 10 days of Ramazan despite the recent increase in gold prices.

A number of major shopping centres of the city, which are nowadays open till 3.30am and even up to 4am in some cases, have been gaily illuminated and tastefully decorated with colourful bunting. With a view to attracting buyers, many shops have announced big prizes for those making purchases from their shops.

Some of major shopping centres, which are attracting heavy crowd, include main Tariq Road shopping centre, Jamia Cloth Market, Saddar’s Bohri Bazaar, Zamzama market, Shon Circle, Boultan Market, Jubilee Cinema, Hoti Market, North Nazimabad’s Haidery market, Karimabad’s Meena Bazaar, Bazaar-e-Faisal, FB Area’s Anarkali market, Malir’s Liaquat Market, Landhi’s Babar Market, Korangi K-Area market, Orangi’s Nishan-i-Haider Chowk and New Karachi market.

Traffic jams of longer duration have also started taking place not only on main thoroughfares of the major shopping centres, but also on their adjacent arteries and streets.

Though traffic police have been deployed to manage the heavy vehicular traffic at various major shopping centres of the city, chowkidars of different localities, falling in the vicinity of such bazaars, can be seen providing parking space to motorists on the adjacent Mohalla streets, thereby making some income under the head of parking charges.

The number of stalls, selling Eid cards have, this year, declined considerably as the trend of sending Eid greetings cards to relatives residing in other cities of the country and abroad was fast ending owing to availability of Internet facilities whereby one can send e-greetings to their near and dear ones.

At various shopping centres, where a number of barbecue and fast-food restaurants have sprung up either on pavements or on roadsides, have caused chaotic condition, creating hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic.

Besides, illegal heavy encroachments of footpaths of major shopping centres by vendors, selling variety of merchandise, including ready-made garments, shoes, spectacles, bangles and decorative items, have become a source of inconvenience for shoppers in particular and pedestrians in general.