Women vendors out of some Sunday Bazaars

Women vendors unable to fathom the 'strange policy', feel it ignores the rights of vendors.

LAHORE: The district coordination officer’s (DCO’s) ban on women vendors at Sunday Bazaars has taken effect at some of the weekly markets while Town Municipal Officers (TMOs) at others have no knowledge of it, The Express Tribune has learnt.

“We have discouraged lady vendors on the orders of the district coordination officer. However, we are imposing the ban slowly,” said the Ravi Town TMO Ahmad Kamal. He said, “This is not a suitable place for women to come and sell vegetables. All sorts of people come to Sunday Bazaars. They (women vendors) argue a lot and get into fights.” However, he said that the fights were not “gender based.”

Ravi Town TMO Nishtar Town Ali Abbas, Iqbal Town TMO Arif Barfi and Muslim Town TMO Imtiaz Awan said that there was no change in their areas and they had no idea about a ban on female vendors in the city. Gulberg TMO Mian Tariq said there had been no female vendors in his area for the past six weeks.

Rubina Kausar, a vendor at the Sunday Market in Data Gunj Bakhsh Town said, “I have three children to feed and my husband has been ordered bed rest. I cannot afford to send my children to school and now I am also deprived of this opportunity. The government should give us an alternate if it is imposing such a ban. I don’t trust social security; it’s all just on paper.” Another vendor Rani, in the same market, said” I come to sell vegetables here with my young daughters.  This is the only work we know. If we can’t do this, my family will suffer badly.”Female vendors at the Sunday Bazaars are mostly accompanied by children.

Sub Inspector Amanat Ali, deployed at the Data Ganj Bakhsh Town Sunday Bazaar said, “We have accommodated two women… There are no fights here on account of vendor’s gender.” Despite the DCO’s order there was no major change at almost all of the Sunday Bazaars.

Women vendors were still selling vegetables and had no knowledge of the ban. When told about the ban, they were upset and could not fathom what change it would bring about except for increasing the stress in their lives.

Customer Azam Khan, who was buying fruit from vendor Nazeeran bibi,  said, “There is really no difference between male and female vendors, they all haggle over prices and the quality of the goods in the same fashion.” Nazeeran bibi, on being told about the ban said, “This is a strange policy. It clearly ignores the rights of vendors.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2010.fe