LAHORE: Traditional ‘Landa Bazaars’ have become out of the reach of the people living below the poverty line in the city just before the start of winter season as they too have very little to offer, Pakistan Today has observed.
Muhammad Ramzan, a labourer who came to Landa Bazaar near Railways Station along with his children said he was taken aback when he asked the shopkeepers about prices of sweaters and jackets.
“I was hoping to purchase a second-hand sweater for Rs 300 but shopkeeper was not negotiating below Rs 500. I can’t afford costly sweaters. In this scenario, I can either feed my children or buy hand-me-downs from at higher prices”, he stated.
The troubled father further added, “I visited many shops but all sweaters are in the range of Rs 500 to Rs 850.”
Nazir Hussain, who works the night shift as a security guard at a private company in Defence said he wanted to buy a windcheater since nights had become a cooler in the last few days and that it was not possible for him to travel on a motorcycle without winter clothes.
“Shopkeepers are demanding Rs 1,500 to 2,000 for a jacket which I purchased at a cost of Rs 1,000 last year”, he lamented.
Nazir further added that he quit his idea to buy the jacket from Landa Bazaar near Mayo Hospital and would now go to Anarkali bazaar where prices will hopefully be lower. He summarized that the traders in Landa bazaar were fleecing people without any accountability or check.
Many other people belonging to lower-middle or lower class made similar comments.
Inflation has squeezed the buying power of the people and almost all daily-use items including vegetables have gone beyond the public’s reach.
Aslam Khan, a shopkeeper stated that all second-hand woollies come from Karachi and the shopkeepers had nothing to do with the price hike. He claimed that if the items were purchased at higher prices, the shopkeepers would have to sell them at an even greater price after taking their profit margin.”
Aslam said prices of woollies in Landa Bazaars will further rise as formal winter season will start from next month. “My profit margin will increase a bit from next month when the sale of items will further increase,” he concluded.
There are about 25 Landa Bazaars in the city where inflation-hit people throng to buy second-hand items at lower prices.
It is learnt that Customs Department has imposed import trade duty on used clothes and woollies as the business of imported second-hand clothes is thriving in the country. Bulks of imported worn cloths mainly come from Korea, Japan, China and other countries, finding its way into villages and cities across Pakistan where poor people become chief buyers of these commodities.