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Books' bazaar at Gulshan closed by town administration
KARACHI, March 13(Dawn): Many poor families have run into financial trouble
after the Gulshan Town administration closed the makeshift book bazaar dealing
in second-hand and books and magazines for years. The bazaar used to be held on
the vacant plot opposite the Baitul Mukarram Masjid on the main University Road.
The administration's action has been criticised equally by students and teachers
who said they had lost a great source of costly books and journals offered at
very low prices.
The town administration carried out an anti-encroachment
drive about two weeks ago in various localities during which it removed 18
vendors selling used books and magazines on pushcarts from the
bazaar.
"This is not the first time we have to close our business. We are
considered a nuisance whenever an event takes place. For the IDEAS-2006, we were
made to keep our business closed for 15 days," one of the affected booksellers
complained. He suggested that the dislodged vendors be allowed to continue with
their business for which a reasonable amount could be fixed as rent. "They
accuse us of spoiling the place, but are least bothered about the dirt and filth
created by the fruit vendors within the same bazaar," he argued. Sunday's
downpour aggravated the conditions all around as the solid waste and garbage
disposed of by the fruit vendors everywhere in the bazaar created foul smell and
ruined the atmosphere of the whole locality when rain created pools of muddy
water.
Other book vendors said that they had been doing business here for
over a decade. All of them had been paying a fixed monthly amount ranging from
Rs200 to Rs1,000 to the local police or the defunct KMC staff. "I support a
family of six. I have no other livelihood. I have invested all my savings in
this business and now when the negotiations with the town officials on reviving
the bazaar have remained inconclusive, I have to look for some other job," said
a vendor who did not want to be identified.
The town administration's
move is also criticised by students and teachers who said that they had been
deprived of a major and economic source of knowledge. "Due to the steep rise in
the cost of living, second-hand books have become a vital option for students.
Students of most educational institutions in and around the Gulshan Town had an
easy access to the bazaar and this is why it had become quite popular over the
years. It's unfortunate that instead of establishing more places like these, the
authorities are bent upon uprooting the few ones left in the city," said Naseem
Akhtar, a Karachi University student who used to frequent the book
bazaar.
Prof Sehar Ansari, also a regular visitor, deplored the town
officials' action and said that these book vendors were doing a great social
service. He was of the view that the administration should have set up proper
stalls for them instead of removing them. "Students and people like me were
benefiting a lot from these vendors who had all sorts of second-hand books to
offer at low prices. I have talked to the nazim myself about the matter and told
him that if the operation was part of the anti-encroachment drive, why the fruit
vendors were not touched. The nazim had no answer," he observed.
When
asked about the matter, Town Nazim Wasay Jalil said: "The open place is a
disputed piece of land between the Pakistan Railways and the Railway Society and
the case is pending before a court for long. However, the order for the removal
of stalls is a part of the town's anti-encroachment drive. The whole place has
turned into a garbage dump and we want to clean it up."
When asked why
the fruit vendors were not removed although they were actually responsible for
the unhygienic conditions at the place, he replied that they were also being
asked to vacate the place.
Mr Wasay criticised vendors for paying
extortion money (Bhatta) to be allowed to do business on a disputed land.
"Instead, they should save the money to own a shop and opt for having a legal
place for their business," he advised.
However, he said, the town
administration was planning to establish a hawkers' zone where the affected book
vendors could also shift their business.
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| Education News | | Updated: 25 May, 2012 |
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