Traders on Monday observed a shutter-down strike in protest against killing of a mobile phone dealer and growing street crimes in the metropolis. Electronic markets of Saddar remained closed during the day. No trading of electronic items was seen, as the downtown markets wore a deserted look throughout the day.
"Police, which remains busy in corruption, is responsible for the unchecked streets crimes that surged over the past two years crippling traders and citizens' commercial dealings on a daily basis," chairman All Karachi Tajir Ittehad, Atiq Mir, said talking to Business Recorder.
He further said that the recruitment of corrupt personnel corrupted the police department largely, which engendered unpredicted hike in street crimes. "The primary target of street criminals is either citizens or traders," he said, lamenting that the government doesn't give priority to the much-needed security shield to protect them against the criminals.
Atiq said that Karachi city, which earns over 60 percent of the total national revenue alone, stands completely abandoned as the democratic government play no role to ensure good governance for citizens and traders. He said the city is wrongly depending on the government or police for its welfare and security while Rangers cannot act on small incidents as it is a police job.
"No banks, markets, homes, streets and roads are secured from the violent criminals,"" he said, adding that roads infrastructure is in tatters, filthy sewage water run over streets and roads, environment is deleterious for people due to dust and petroleum pollution whereas healthcare and education sectors also fail to deliver.
He said that the fire-fighting department has a dead fleet with no operators or extinguishing materials to douse blazes and the victims have to wait for abating the fire on its own after incinerating all the valuable material. He said that the PPP government has ignored the city for the last nine years and still lacks a plan to develop it. He said the government is least interested to help the city.