Sasta Bazaar inaugurated: For police, convenience in vicinity

Subsidised items will be available first Saturday of every month

LAHORE: A market for police personnel and their families was inaugurated at Qila Gujjar Singh Police lines on Saturday. The bazaar was inaugurated by Capital City Police Officer Captain (retd) Amin Wains, who said the Sasta Bazaar would be arranged at police lines on Saturday of the first week of every month – a time when government employees receive their salary. He said the step was taken in an attempt to raise the living standards of lower cadre police officials.

All the stalls were established with the help of multinational companies and had items on sale at subsidised rates varying from 30% to 70%.

A medical camp will also be set up adjacent to the bazaar so that personnel could buy medicines at lower rates and consult doctors free of charge.

While expressing her pleasure over inauguration of the bazaar, Amna Bibi, wife of a head constable, said she was relieved over not having to cover long distances to buy groceries from now on. She added bazaars with items on subsidised rates are only set up on Sundays that too far from where they live. “Now I will be able to shop from [almost] our doorstep.”

Amjad Bashir, a police constable, was of the opinion that the initiative does not seem to be a big deal, but people cannot imagine what a good news it is for them. Bashir earns a meagre salary in which a subsidy of 30% on groceries and other essentials meant a lot. He added 30% meant he could save Rs30 from Rs100 and Rs300 from Rs1,000. “A saving of Rs300 would afford me a snack out at a small eatery with my family.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2016.