Market fires in Karachi: BMG, KCCI chiefs meet affected shopkeepers, vow support, cooperation

KARACHI: Chairman Businessmen Group (BMG) Zubair Motiwala and President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Muhammad Idrees, while assuring full support and cooperation to shopkeepers of the fire-hit Cooperative Market and Victoria Building, vowed to make all-out efforts till all the shopkeepers of both markets receive compensations exactly as per losses suffered by them.

Addressing more than 400 shopkeepers of the Cooperative Market and Victoria Building who gathered here at the KCCI Auditorium to attend a meeting held to explain the procedure adopted by the KCCI to evaluate compensation claims, Chairman BMG and President KCCI urged shopkeepers to honestly claim the precise compensation as per their actual losses and the KCCI would try its best to ensure release of funds to the affectees as early as possible.

Unrealistic and exaggerated compensation claims being demanded by shopkeepers was going to make things difficult and would obviously delay the overall process; therefore, the shopkeepers must truthfully and honestly submit their claims, they added.

Vice Chairman BMG Jawed Bilwani, General Secretary BMG A Q Khalil, Senior Vice President Abdul Rehman Naqi, Vice President Qazi Zahid Husain and KCCI Managing Committee Members were also present.

Chairman BMG and President KCCI informed that committees led by KCCI’s Managing Committee Members have already been formed and tasked to assess all the compensation claims.

Each and every shopkeeper will have to appear before these committees to defend his claims and also take an oath to guarantee his truthfulness and honesty, which will be followed meticulous scrutiny and then the cases will be recommended for release of compensation to the Sindh government’s committee in which KCCI was being represented by Zubair Motiwala, Muhammad Idrees, Jawed Bilwani and AQ Khalil.

They said that it was Karachi Chamber’s top most priority to complete the compensation within the earliest possible time but the shopkeepers have to be completely honest and truthful as per teachings of Islam.

They recalled that Karachi Chamber has all the expertise and experience available as this compensation evaluation process has been successfully carried out twice when an angry mob had torched thousands of shops in Bolton Market in 2009, and when a fire engulfed around 200 shops in Timber Market in 2015. It was a gigantic task but thanks to dedication, sincerity and hard work done by the KCCI you will not find a single shopkeeper who had not received compensation as per their actual losses, they said.

While assuring full support and cooperation to the shopkeepers in distress, Zubair Motiwala and Muhammad Idrees reassured that KCCI’s door will always open to fully assist shopkeepers so that they could get their legitimate and logical claims which would enable them to resume their business activities.

They also appreciated the seriousness exhibited by Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Minister for Industries Jam Ikramullah Khan Dharejo, Sindh Minister for Information & Labour Saeed Ghani and Administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab who were keen to ensure timely release of compensation to all the affectees Cooperative Market and Victoria Building.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022