RAWALPINDI: A day before the start of Ramazan, people thronged bazaars and markets in the garrison city on Saturday.

The rush of shoppers in the business centres added to the traffic gridlocks already caused by ongoing construction work on different roads.

The Mall has been closed for traffic for the last two days due to the construction of an underpass with traffic diverted to alternative roads. Besides a flyover on Adiala Road, construction work is ongoing on many roads, including Railway Road from Bakery Chowk to Raja Bazaar, Girja Road and Ch. Bostan Khan Road from Chaklala Scheme-III to Lahore High Court.

Before Ramazan, mostly people thronged bazaars for purchase of grocery, clothes and other items to avoid the traffic rush during fasting.

Throngs of shoppers add to traffic gridlocks already caused by construction work on different roads

Traders said they were expecting relatively poor turnout of shoppers due to inflation and subsequent economic recession in the country, but markets had been witnessing more buyers than expected.

However, Mohammad Nasir, a shopkeeper at Nirankari Bazaar, said, “People mostly tend to start their shopping before Ramazan, particularly a day before the start of the holy month.” He said mostly people visited main bazaars for monthly shopping at the weekend or on the first day of a month.

Other traders insisted that there had not been much change this year. “Our prices are more or less the same as they were last month,” said the owner of a grocery store.

Mohammad Ahmed, a visitor, said that he went to a bazaar to purchase household items but remained trapped in a traffic jam. He said that the basic problem was construction work of various roads which created hurdles in the smooth flow of traffic.

Malik Hussain, a resident of Naya Mohallah, said that it was difficult to drive a car on Iqbal Road in rush hours. He said he used a motorcycle to bring his children from school from a nearby locality.

A senior official of the Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation (RMC) told Dawn that the civic body had launched an anti-encroachment drive and cleared the roads but the number of vehicles increased manifold.

“Due to the closure of The Mall, I had to go to Islamabad via I.J. Principal Road but it wasted my precious time and fuel. At Saddar, I got trapped in the traffic jam for 30 minutes,” said Mohammad Saleem.

Mohammad Kamran, a resident of Peshawar Road, said that the traffic jams had become a routine.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2025