It seems that the late Great Benazir Bhutto does not have a monopoly on places or venues being named after her. Now that Sharif brothers are joining in and having places named after them. But apparantly they have a lot to learn about good quality and prices. Personally I have no issues with naming places after Sharif brothers, they have done a great deal for the locals and deserve recognition. I am sure many would agree.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Shahbaz Sharif Sasta Bazaar: Administration, vendors ‘minting money’
** Shopkeepers admit to selling sub-standard products
- Qureshi denies allegations of expensive products being sold at market
*LAHORE: Instead of providing relief to the poor, Shahbaz Sharif Sasta Bazaar at Model Town Link Road has become a source to mint money for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s local leadership and the shopkeepers, as they are selling substandard items at higher rates than other markets.
Several shop visitors said used and second grade clothes are being sold at the bazaar as new branded clothes. They said the rates of other commodities were also around 20 percent higher than other markets. The City District Government Lahore has obliged PML-N Sports Wing General Secretary Tauseef Ahmed Qureshi to establish this bazaar a few days before Eid.
There are more than 40 stalls at the market, each being allocated a space of 400 square feet. Qureshi charges Rs 2,000 per day as rent from each shopkeeper and Rs 40 to Rs 100 per energy saver as electricity charges. He charges Rs 5,000 per month for every shutter from them. He has also established an independent parking for the bazaar, where cars and motorcycles are charged Rs 10 and Rs 5, respectively.
Qureshi said the idea of setting the bazaar had not only boosted his political career, but also generated large sums of money for him. A dress shirt of sub-standard quality is available between Rs 250 and 350 at other markets, but at the market it is sold between Rs 350 and 450. A second hand jersey is available between Rs 100-250 at other markets, and Rs 200-450 at the bazaar.
Sub-standard: The shopkeepers argued that the clothes were of high quality, but agreed to the clothes being of sub-standard quality after an argument. The shopkeepers said they were forced to sell the commodities at high rates because they had to pay large sums of money to the bazaar administration. They said they were also sub-letting a portion of their stalls to meet the expenses.
A shopkeeper, Ahmed Ali, said the customers were deceived by the name ‘Sasta Bazaar’, adding that there were rarely any customers that recognised that the clothes were not original.
Deny: Qureshi denied the allegations that expensive products are being sold at the market, adding that the stalls were constantly filled with people. He said that the large number of customers proved that the market was not overcharging its consumers.
