- Five Ramzan bazaars each for Gulberg and Allama Iqbal towns; four bazaars in Nishtar Town; three bazaars each for Ravi, Samanabad, Data Gunj Bakhsh, Aziz Bhatti and Shalamar towns; Wahga Town will have two bazaars
As the holy month of Ramzan inches closer, the City District Government of Lahore (CDGL) is all set to make Ramzan bazaars across Lahore functional by Friday (today).
The CDGL had initially planned setting up as many as 31 Ramzan bazaars; however, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Lahore Captain (r) Muhammad Usman told Pakistan Today that he was planning to establish one more bazaar within a few days.
In all, the nine towns of Lahore will have 31 Ramzan bazaars. There will be five bazaars each in Gulberg and Allama Iqbal towns; four bazaars in Nishtar Town; three bazaars each for Ravi, Samanabad, Data Gunj Bakhsh, Aziz Bhatti and Shalamar towns. Only Wahga Town will have two bazaars.
According to a spokesperson for the CDGL, price control magistrates will keep a check on the prices of commodities in all Ramzan bazaars and will also take action on public complaints against overcharging.
The government has also decided to ensure presence of veterinary experts and officials of the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) in all bazaars for checking the quality of meat and edibles, while in view of the sweltering temperatures this year, the CDGL has decided to provide many Ramzan bazaars, set up in marquees, with chillers to facilitate the masses.
Nevertheless, arrangements for a Data Gunj Bakhsh Town Ramzan bazaar in Islampura area have not yet been completed when this scribe paid a visit to the area on Thursday. The administrators there said that it could take one or two more days to make this bazaar functional.
It may be mentioned here that last year the Ramzan bazaar in Islampura was declared as the best market. “We will try to keep its previous status intact,” said Union Council 58 Chairman Shahab Basharat, adding that public representatives would be present in all Ramzan bazaars along with CDGL officials to facilitate maximum number of people.
When asked about the Islampura Ramzan bazaar, DCO Usman said that “we acquired the land from the Higher Education Department (HED) late as the bazaar is going to be set up on the premises of the Girls Degree College. He however sounded confident that this bazaar would be made functional today (Friday) along with other Ramzan bazaars in the city.
The government had announced that a 10-kg wheat flour bag would be available for Rs290 at Ramazan bazaars and for Rs310 in the open market during the month of Ramzan.
The Punjab government has announced Rs 5 billion subsidy for as many as 330 Ramzan bazaars, 25 model bazaars and around 2,000 madni dastarkhawans being set up across the province this year.