Traders seek package for rain-related losses
Rawalpindi traders, mostly wholesalers, have urged the government to announce a special package to compensate for the rain-related losses.
Around 100 millimetres of a downpour on Monday wreaked havoc in the garrison city and the rainwater entered houses, shops and commercial centres in the low-lying areas causing a loss of millions of rupees to traders of 15 wholesale markets and bazaars.
Traders returned to markets on Tuesday only to find 4 to 5 feet of water in their shops. The traders said that they were left devastated by the rainwater and had to bear losses of millions of rupees.
The affected traders said that they will not be able to buy goods at all if they did not get the relief package from the government.
After the heavy rain, Moti Bazaar, Bohar Bazaar, Mochi Bazar, Raja Bazaar, Nirankari Bazaar, Trunk Bazar, Bara Bazaar, Dingi Khoi Bazar, Jama Masjid Road, Fawara Chowk, Kashmiri Bazaar, Ganj Mandi, Saddar City Road, Iqbal Road and College Road completely submerged in rainwater.
Rainwater entered these markets while traders watched their life savings go to waste.
In Bohar Bazaar, where wholesale drug stores operate, and in Moti Bazaar, which is the largest and busiest market for garments and shoes, 4 to 5 feet of water entered shops, completely destroying goods worth millions of rupees.
In Nizankari Bazaar, which is the oldest and busiest market in Raja Bazaar for food items and other items including bookshops, rainwater entered shops and destroyed valuables.
Rainwater also entered shops in Ganj Mandi which is the biggest wholesale market in the garrison city. Shoe shops and medical stores were also flooded in Kashmiri Bazaar. Four feet of water caused havoc in Mochi Bazaar as well. Rainwater also entered shops in front of Lal Haveli, Trunk Bazaar and Sabzi Mandi, submerging everything.
The flood water also caused great destruction in all markets on Saddar City Road, where paint, chipboard, electronic and electric and glass factories operate.
Traders also faced heavy losses due to the entrance of water in the markets of Dungi Khoi Chowk Bazaar, Jama Masjid Road, College Road, and Iqbal Road.
Traders said that the delay in cleaning drains and the lack of a proper drainage system caused flooding. On Tuesday, traders were seen cleaning their shops and throwing out the destroyed goods.
Moti Bazaar traders Chaudhry Iqbal Ahmed, Naveed Kanwal, Sheikh Yusuf of Bohar Bazaar, Chaudhry Shoaib, Faisal Shahzad and Mochi Bazaar traders Syed Asim and Chaudhry Umeer said that they faced huge financial losses due to the flooding this time around. They said that the choked drains and the poor drainage system caused flooding, causing millions of rupees losses to them.
They demanded that the government should announce a relief package to compensate for their losses. Anjuman Tajiran Rawalpindi President Malik Shahid Ghafoor Paracha said that the rain has caused havoc in all business centres and traders have badly been affected by it. He said that the loss of each market is being estimated separately.
He said that the government should immediately announce a package to compensate for the rain-related losses of businessmen and ensure the cleaning of drains near business centres to avoid such a catastrophe and losses in the future.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2022.