One clever tactic to attract consumers towards purchasing anything illegal is to either put it on sale or to attach the label "savings" on it. Therefore, perhaps it is no surprise that illegal savings markets remain popular among locals in the city.
However, despite their claims of being budget-friendly, these markets offer little more than the convenience of shopping under one roof. For buyers, there is no difference between the general market rates and the weekly market rates since most of the shopkeepers sell items at prices higher than the official rates.
Sher Muhammad, a resident of Gulshan-e-Iqbal said that shopkeepers sell items at high prices, but he still goes to the nearby weekly bazaar to shop because he gets everything including vegetables and fruits, all at one place.
Similarly, Abdul Jabbar Khan, a resident of Gulshan-e-Hadeed, confirmed that the weekly market nearby sold items at higher prices than the official rates, but he was forced to buy them out of convenience.
Reportedly, there are a total of 361 bazaars set up in the city, out of which 216 are illegal. According to data obtained from the Sindh Bureau of Supply and Prices, 27 of the legally established weekly markets in Karachi are set up in District Central, while 19 are held in District East, 6 in Kemari, 26 in District Korangi, 19 in Malir and 24 weekly markets are held in District West. The largest number of legally established markets, 25 are held on Saturdays. Among the legally established markets in the city, the number of Category A markets is 10, Category B markets is 43 and Category C markets is 88.
District Central Price Inspector Kashif Hadi told The Express Tribune that Category A markets were among the major markets in the city, while Category B and C were smaller markets.
Meanwhile, the price inspectors of the Bureau of Supply claimed that they checked the price lists in the relevant markets and took action whenever they received complaints. Price Sub-Inspector Raza Haider, who was supervising the market near Aladin Park on Wednesday, assured that whenever he received a complaint regarding items being sold at higher prices at a stall, he first issued a warning to the shopkeeper, while upon the second complaint, he banned the shop.
Rafiq Kandharo, in-charge of the Friday Bazaar in Gulshan-e-Hadeed, revealed that he regularly ensured that the items are not sold at prices higher than the official prices in the weekly bazaar.
Apart from their unregulated prices, these bazaars are also a cause of obstruction in the flow of traffic. Former DI Traffic Karachi Ahmed Nawaz Cheema informed that bazaars held across 14 places in the city were found to be instigating traffic jams. "Of the 14 weekly markets that were identified, five are held in District Central, including the Sunday market on the side of Nipa to Samama in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, the Sunday car market at Baghdadi Ground in New Karachi, the Sunday bird market from Al-Azam Square to Prince Sweets in Liaquatabad, the market near Disco Mor in Khawaja Ajmer Nagri and the Sunday market on the service road of Ship Owners College in North Nazimabad among others.
According to the survey, weekly markets held at six places in the Korangi district also cause traffic jams. These include three markets in Awami Colony, a Tuesday market near Baitul Hamza in Landhi, two markets in Shah Faisal Colony on Monday and Sunday, and a market on Azeem Pura Road on Tuesday and Friday. Same is the case with weekly markets held at three places in Malir district including those at Hijri Road and Yousaf Ludhianvi Road in the Gulzar Hijri area.
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