LANDI KOTAL: Eid shopping has gained momentum in Landi Kotal Bazaar as the fasting month entered its last week.

Local people thronged the bazaar in large numbers as majority of the tribesmen working in Gulf countries, Afghanistan and major cities of the country have returned to their hometowns to celebrate Eid with their families.

Rush of people could be seen on shops selling dry fruits, caps, readymade garments and shoes. When asked, majority of the customers expressed their satisfaction over prices of most of Eid-related items.

Sajid Mian, a local resident, said that good quality almonds were available at Rs700 per kilogramme compared to Rs1,000 for the same commodity last year. He said that walnuts too were cheaper than last year and prices of fresh fruit and vegetable were under control.

Mohammad Tahir, another resident, said that caps, mostly white, were another attraction among the local buyers. He said that handmade caps of Dir district were costlier than the machine-made caps. Prices of handmade caps range between Rs350 and Rs500 while the machine-made caps, imported from Bangladesh and the local ones could be bought for Rs150 to Rs250 a piece.

Capitalising on the popularity of Peshawari and Charssada chappals, some cobblers and shoemakers from these regions have established their own manufacturing units in Landi Kotal Bazaar to attract local customers.

Hikmat Ali, a resident, said that Kaptaan style and ordinary Peshawari chappal are liked by the youth while the school age boys are going for readymade shoes.

The local administration has also allowed the shopkeepers to keep their shops open till late in the night as most of the customers prefer to do shopping after Iftar.

Authorities of local grid stations have also shown mercy on the people as they allow power supply till late in the night.

Sweets and bakery items are the other attractions for Eid. The customers expressed satisfaction over prices of these items, but complained about low quality of bakery items due to use of substandard food materials.

Sajid Mian told this scribe that the price of ice also dropped significantly as duration of power outages had been reduced to almost half, enabling the residents to get the commodity from their own refrigerators.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2017