Small traders on Tuesday demanded a probe into the alleged financial mismanagement in the construction of buildings in Boulton Market, which were set ablaze on Ashura day in December 2009 and warned that they would launch a protest agitation.
"We cannot tolerate any kind of monetary injustice to the already financially weak traders of Boulton Market, and will launch a strong protest against the responsible people behind the embezzlements in the construction of buildings," said Chairman All Karachi Tajir Ittehad, Muhammad Atiq Mir.
He said Karachi chamber's building construction committee should take care of the affected traders' interest instead of the builders, and vowed to protect the affectees financial and trade interests amid the present scandal. "Administrators of the affected markets are also in touch with builders to build shops in the under construction building at the place of toilets and trying to change the location and size of some shops there," he alleged.
Mir observed that the affected traders are being allotted smaller size of shops against the pledged big size while shape of some shops is also being changed, and warned that small traders would not let anyone create problems for them. He also advised the traders to submit their complaints to the committee for small traders of Federal of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI). He informed that a cell is being set up to address the traders' problems on an immediate basis.
Chairman AKTI demanded government to set up a committee to supervise the entire rehabilitation process of the affected traders and ensure transparency in shops' construction and their allotment to affectees. He also demanded completing the process of construction of markets prior to Eid-ul-Fitr.
He criticised delay of about one and half year in starting of the rehabilitation process and termed it "worst kind of negligence". He said that about 5, 000 people could not attain jobs or resume their businesses because of the delay in the rehabilitation process. About 2,000 shops in 13 markets were destroyed in the blaze by terrorists after the bomb blast on Ashura procession on December 28, 2009 on M.A. Jinnah Road, killing at-least 45 people and left dozens other severely injured. Atiq Mir also demanded government to financially support the affected traders.