Transporters' strike hits trade activities

Transporters' wheel-jam strike against the fuel price hike on Tuesday badly affected trade and business activities in the Sindh metropolis, traders said. Commuters suffered public transport remained off the road. Markets, however, remained open during the day while traders complained of low sales volume.
"All city markets remained open during the transport strike without full-scale trade activity because of lack of buyers," said Vice-Chairman of the All Karachi Tajir Ittehad (AKTI) Jamil Paracha. Attributing the lull in trade activity on the lack of public transport, he said that it also caused problems for commuters.
"Although workers managed to somehow reach their workplaces, buyers faced difficulties," he said. Traders in different markets agreed that the strike was a sign of "public despair" against the government's inflationary moves, which had badly hit the country.
Markets, including Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, Old City area, Empress Market and Electronics Market in Saddar remained closed while markets in Clifton, Tariq Road and Bahadurabad, Gurumandir, Soldier Bazaar areas witnessed dull trade activity, businessmen said.
There were, however, some markets where workers' attendance remained as low as 30 per cent. A large chunk of the city's large population depends on public transport. The strike also hit production in cottage industries, manufacturers and traders said.
However, most of them blamed the government for the fuel price hike, surge in electricity and gas prices and bemoaned their insufficient supplies to consumers and manufacturers. They said that the government had also failed to maintain peace in the city as sporadic incidents of killings and vandalism continued unabated almost on a daily basis, also affecting trade and business activities.
They said that the government's policies were completely incomprehensible, adding that it continued to sustain fragile national economy with 'artificial' half measures and had no political will to take real economic decisions for the country's betterment.