The intense heat wave made markets and recreational places empty of visitors as citizens thronged the canal and the River Ravi to battle the hot weather and load shedding. With the onslaught of summer, the sale of ice cream and various other locally-prepared syrups, including sharbats and milk products have shown a significant increase but government authorities have not launched any effective operation to check quality of the foodstuffs.
The sale of unhygienic foodstuffs by a number of local restaurants, vendors and ice-cream parlours in various markets of the city has been going on unnoticed, as the District Health Department has not given due attention to the issue. In scorching heat of 44 degrees Celsius, Lahoris preferred not to go for shopping despite discount offers on various products. Haseeb Ahmed, a garments’ shop owner in Panorama Centre, told Pakistan Today that the number of customers visiting his shop had fallen as soon as May began.
“Now people tend to visit markets in the evening after sunset,” he said. IT markets at Hafeez Centre and Hall Road appeared deserted. Shakeel Khan, a computer shop owner in Hafeez Centre, said that summers bring low business for them while load shedding is another misery. Naveed, a customer, said that he had come to buy a DVD ROM for his computer but due to load shedding, he was reluctant to buy the electronic appliance, as it could not be checked at the shop.
The shopkeeper offered him a warranty of two days but Naveed stayed there waiting for electricity to return instead of risking another visit in the very hot weather. Lahore Zoo, Bagh-e-Jinnah, Model Town Park, Racecourse Park and other recreational places also looked devoid of visitors. A flower seller in Bagh-e-Jinnah said that people were not visiting the park in day timings now and his business had also gone down very much.
“Even on weekends, few people came here.” He added. A rush of visitors was observed near the Shahdara and Saggian bridges where families enjoyed boating, eating mangoes, meals, ice cream and other activities. Greenbelts and a thick line of trees provided an ideal spot along the river to merrymakers.
