Shoppers complain about encroachments at Sunday Bazaars

LAHORE:

Most of the shoppers at Sunday Bazaars complained this week about encroachments on entrances to the weekly markets.

A visit to several Sunday Bazaars showed that the arrangements were tidy during the morning hours. At noon, however – when a large number of shoppers visit the markets – scores of vendors moved to the main roads blocking the entrances to the bazaars.

Some of the shoppers The Express Tribune spoke to said they had faced great difficulty in parking their vehicles because some vendors had encroached upon car parks.

Naseem Bibi, 50, said several commodities on the official price list were not available in the bazaar.

According to the official price list, prices of 12 vegetables were lower than last week and those of six were higher. Prices of seven vegetables were unchanged.

Green chilies, cabbages, methi (fenugreek), mongray, capsicums, onions, garlic (native), lemons (Chinese) and ginger had lower rates compared to the previous week.

The price of green chilies (native) dropped by 26 per cent; the produce was being sold for Rs30-35 a kilogramme. The price of cabbages was Rs8-10 a kilogramme. The price of lemons (Chinese) had declined by 22 per cent to Rs30-35 a kilogramme.

The price of methi was Rs6-8 a kilogramme. The mongray sold for Rs17-20 a kilogramme and Chinese and Thai varieties of ginger for Rs84-89 and Rs55-60 a kilogramme, respectively. The price of capsicums was Rs35-40 a kilogramme. Garlic (Chinese) was being sold for Rs190-200 a kiolgramme and garlic (desi) for Rs210-220 a kilogramme. The price of onions was Rs30-34 a kilogramme.

Prices of brinjals, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, spinach, taro roots (arvi) and turnips were unchanged. The price of brinjals was Rs 20-25 a kilogramme, carrots Rs10-14 a kilogramme, cauliflower Rs4-6 a kilogramme, potatoes (new) Rs10-13 a kilogramme, spinach Rs10-15 a kilogramme, taro roots Rs40-45 a kilogramme and turnips Rs6-10 a kilogramme. Prices of tomatoes, peas, okra, cucumbers, bitter gourd and radishes witnessed a raise. Radishes sold for Rs8-12 a kilogramme, bitter gourd for Rs80-85 a kilogramme and cucumbers for Rs50-55 a kilogramme.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th,  2016.