Gole Market traders protest eviction notice

ISLAMABAD:

Dozens of traders of Gole Market on Monday held a protest demonstration in Melody Market against what they said the plaza owner’s unjust eviction plan.

The plaza owner, Sadaqat Ali, had served notices on the 21 tenants in October 2014 directing them to move out by August 12, 2015. The shopkeepers moved the Islamabad High Court to stop their eviction but their petition was dismissed.

The shopkeepers said they had been in the plaza for over 40 years now and were not given enough time by the owner to move out. They said the owner wanted to sell the plaza.

The plaza is among some of the oldest markets of the capital. It mostly houses tailoring shops but is more famous for a smosa shop, commonly known as the Aga Khani Smosa Shop. This small snack bar is popular among old residents of the city.

The smosa shop’s owner Salim Hassan proudly speaks of his attachment to the shop. “This shop is like a child to me. If only the plaza owner gave us enough time or some kind of compensation to relocate our established businesses,” he said. Hassan has made arrangements to relocate the shop to PWD Colony.

Plaza owner said shopkeepers were not paying their dues on time, a claim the shopkeepers denied.

“I was open for talks with the shopkeepers for a year but no one came to me. Now the court has ruled in my favour,” said Sadaqat Ali, the plaza owner.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2015.