- Transport mafia resort to usual tactics of minting money by increasing fares
ISLAMABAD: With the holy month of Ramazan edging closer to an end and shopping frenzy reaching its peak in the twin cities, many residents have left the capital for their villages and hometowns giving Islamabad a half-abandoned look.
During the buying spree which continues late into the ‘chand raat’, most of the shopping centres of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad can be seen packed with customers, especially after iftar. Sweetmakers and bakeries in the twin cities also enjoy the Eid season as their sales go up by almost 200 per cent.
Also, in order to celebrate the occasion and attract clients, the major shopping centres like Jinnah Super Market, Super Market, Centaurus Mall, Safa Gold Mall, Aabpara Market, F-10 Markaz, Karachi Company in Islamabad, Raja Bazaar, Moti Bazaar, Commercial Market and Saddar in Rawalpindi were beautifully illuminated.
The affluent buyers crowded different shopping centres while people belonging to the low-income group were seen purchasing their desired items from vendors and road-side stalls. Shoppers were also visiting readymade garment shops.
The shops were flooded with garments for men, women and children, with the latest designs, particularly for children. Children and women are more enthusiastic about choosing new and uniquely designed clothes to wear on the occasion of Eidul Fitr.
The illuminating stalls across the city are offering a huge variety of colourful bangles including the glittering ones, and accessories including necklaces, rings, anklets, earrings and a variety of mehndi brands.
Like each year, this year too, despite the formation of vigilance committees by the district administration to check and control the transport fares before and on Eid days, the commuters had no reprieve as they faced great hardships in acquiring seats on fixed fares.
However, in order to mitigate any untoward incident, the Rescue 1122 and fire services will remain on high-alert during the Eid holidays in case of any emergencies. Rawalpindi and Islamabad Rescue 1122 staff will remain on special duties in the district control room and emergency rescue stations.
With the rise in a number of buyers, traffic jams in the city’s busy marketplaces and intersections, especially in front of shopping centres, have become a routine despite special arrangements of the traffic police to avoid congestion in busy markets. The traffic remained choked due to sheer lack of traffic sense and the overall trend of lawbreaking.
