Basement markets run into losses due to frequent power outages

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Fasahat Mohiuddin
KARACHI: Business at the once thriving underground markets of Karachi has come to a standstill given the security situation of the city, a senior officer of the defunct KMC told The News. Today, two such markets remain in the city, one at Saddar and the other at Nazimabad Chowrangi.

The officer, who is now associated with the City Government, said that the Saddar underground market was established before partition. This was set up to enable people to shop without crossing the street. “Back then, there were very few Muslims living in Saddar. So those who lived there shopped on foot and would have to cross the street to get to the various markets,” he added. “Thus, this market was set up so that people wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of crossing the road.”

Today, underground markets have become all the more necessary, he said, especially since the city’s traffic is so bad. But given the law and order situation, the government is not keen on setting up such places.

The Nazimabad Chowrangi underground market, on the other hand, was constructed after considering the success of the Saddar market, some 40 years ago. The shops here were leased out for 99 years.

Even though these markets could have been a great asset in the infamous Karachi summers, they are all but deserted now. Shopkeepers here said that business is slow.

“Previously, women used to come here but they have stopped coming now,” said one of the store owners.

Asif, the owner of an electronic store in the market at Nazimabad Chowrangi, said though there is adequate light in the market, women don’t like coming here. He pointed out that this market could be very successful if the police provide security. “Women do come here to shop during Eid or some other festival,” he added. However, the menace of beggars makes it irksome for visitors to come here and shop.

Also, the frequent load-shedding doesn’t help. “Even though everyone now has a generator or a UPS, can you imagine the panic it causes among customers when the lights go off if even for a second?” said a photocopier in the market.

An old resident of Nazimabad Chowrangi, Shafiq Khan, recalled that had people used such markets, the tragic Bushra Zaidi incident would not have happened. Bushra was a student of Sir Syed Girls’ College who was crushed to death by a bus in 1986, while crossing the road. “If such markets were frequently used, such incidents could be prevented,” he added.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=160837