Old vendors resist new stall allocations

Influential stall holders hinder efforts to allocate stalls to unemployed persons on off days

ISLAMABAD:

The 'influential' stall holders, having old allotments at the Saturday and Sunday bazaars in different areas of the capital, are creating hurdles for the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) to allot the stalls to the unemployed people in the remaining/off days.

The DMA is currently trying to expand the scope of government markets by enabling people to make purchases from the cheap government markets at Abpara, Sector H-9 and other bazaars for more days a week.

More than 500 present stall holders have submitted applications for allotment of stalls for the remaining days against the DMA rules.

Sources have told The Express Tribune that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and DMA administrations issued orders to all the stall holders, in light of the investigation reports of six consecutive fire incidents, to take their goods back from the stalls after closing and keep the stalls empty for the rest of the days.

A total of 1,400 stalls situated at Abpara Sunday Bazaar remain closed for the rest of the week and become unsafe. Similarly, the largest government market in Sector H-9 has 5,400 stalls which operate only on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Despite the closure of government bazaars and no allotment in the remaining days, the stall holders keep their goods inside the stalls, posing multiple security risks.

At least six fire incidents have already burned valuables worth millions of rupees at the Sector H-9 bazaar. Sources further said that it was recommended in light of the investigations that the stall holders should be bound not to keep their goods in the stalls after the market closes, but the stall holders defied the orders.

Three months ago, more than 500 stalls were gutted in a terrible fire in the H-9 Bazaar following which the CDA and DMA administrations issued new rules to the stall holders to remove their goods from off days.

The authorities have decided to allot the stalls to unemployed people on off days through open draw so that on the one hand unemployment could be reduced in Islamabad and on the other the old stallholders' mafia could be dismantled.

A senior DMA officer confirmed that it was recommended in the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Climate Change and Research Reports that the stall holders should be bound to remove their items on off days to prevent fire incidents, facilitate customers with more cheap goods and generate more employment.