No business in rain-hit Lahore

[LRE]

No business in rain-hit Lahore



Wednesday, August 13, 2008
By Jawwad Rizvi

LAHORE

BUSINESS activities were halted in the provincial metropolis on Tuesday after a heavy rain, which started early in the morning and continued till the evening.

The Badami Bagh fruit and vegetable market was badly affected by the rain due to poor sewerage system while the situation of other fruit and vegetable markets was also pathetic.

Rainwater was accumulated in the Badami Bagh Mandi, which became filthy when the vendors threw their rotten fruit and vegetables into the rainwater on the roads.

No authority concerned took notice of the situation as the low business activities continued in the unhygienic conditions.

The vendors said the Mandi always got filthy even after a light rain and everyone was aware of it, adding that the situation of the Mandi would remain same till the end of the rainy season.

Muhammad Ramazan, a vendor in the Badami Bagh Mandi, said his community was used to working in filthy conditions, adding that vendors were paying the market fee to the government but it did not make arrangements for proper sanitation.

He said the condition of fruit and vegetable market was an eye-opener for every government representatives.

On the other hand, the condition of the Akbari Mandi was also not satisfactory.

However, being a part of the largest wholesale market of the province, the traders themselves made arrangements to protect their stock from the rainwater, but the rainwater had accumulated on the Circular Road, the only main route to the Akabri Mandi.

Although, the Wasa teams were operating there to drain the rainwater but they were helpless against the heavy rain.

Similarly, the other city markets, including the big shopping malls and posh areas markets, were opened late but almost no business activity was recorded there.

A large number of shops in the wholesale markets of the city, situated in walled city, remained closed as the staff and owners could not reach their workplace due to the heavy rain.

The wholesale market shopkeepers said that due to heavy rain, business suffered a lot, adding that said the business activities in the markets started earlier, but were halted due to the rain which started early in the morning. There was some business activity witnessed in different markets of the city in the afternoon.

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