Early market closure: Traders threaten to shut metro project

Negotiations between traders, city admin inconclusive

ISLAMABAD: Negotiations between the Islamabad administration and traders remained inconclusive, as the latter refused to close up shop at 8pm.

Traders’ representatives and Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Cap (retd) Mushtaq Ahmed on Thursday held a three-hour long meeting which ended in a deadlock, as the traders refused to follow the order, said an official privy to the meeting.

In first week of April, Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif ordered the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration to ensure all markets in the capital closed by 8pm. The decision was taken in Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCE) meeting chaired by Sharif.

On Thursday, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, called the traders for a meeting and requested that they cooperate with the administration, but the traders rejected the orders. The traders said that they would close their markets at 10pm at the earliest, but could not accept an 8pm shutdown.

Aabpara Market Traders Welfare Association Market President Malik Zaheer Ahmed said that during the meeting, the traders gave different proposals including switching off signboards on shops at 8pm, and also agreeing to switch off half of their internal lights.

Ahmed said that business community had already facing many problems due to the law and order situation and such decision will increase their problems. “The government should withdraw the orders immediately, otherwise the issue will resolve on the street,” he warned.

Blue Area Traders Welfare Association President Nadeem Mansoor confirmed that their proposals were not accepted by the administration, leaving them with no option but to protest.  Mansoor said that they will shutdown the metro bus service once it is ready to launch. “We have no other option,” he added.

He said the order was “completely illogical”, adding that the government can save electricity using other approaches.

DC Ahmed confirmed the talks were inclusive. He said the administration has a right to exercise the West Pakistan Shops and Establishment Ordinance. “Under the ordinance, traders are bound to close their shops [at the time set by the government] and violators would face three years imprisonment,” he said.

Since the orders were issued, all assistant commissioners were directed to go to markets in their jurisdictions and enforce the order, but enforcement has been lax.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2015.