ISLAMABAD: The Aabpara Market traders opened their shops on Wednesday to find seals of electricity meters broken, taps dried and garbage littered around.

The traders believe that commercial activities cannot be started until the participants of both the sit-ins leave Islamabad.

Ajmal Baloch, the Aabpara Market traders’ leader, while talking to Dawn, said when the marchers left for the Constitution Avenue traders decided to open the market.

“Most traders complained that seals of their electricity meters were broken because participants of the sit-ins charged their cellphones from there. Taps in the market had gone dry and the environment of the market was stinky,” he said.

“After reaching the market I contacted the member administration of the CDA, Amir Ali Ahmed, and gave him a complete picture of all the issues we are facing,” he said.

“He immediately sent water tankers and teams of sweepers which cleared the mess,” he said.

Mr Baloch said the market had opened but the presence of protesters in the federal capital was keeping customers away.

“Our real customers are women; once they start coming to the market, business activity will pick up pace,” he said.

President Supermarket Welfare Association Sarfraz Mughal said people were not coming to the markets.

“At a traders meeting on Wednesday, a goldsmith said not a single customer had entered his shop in the last two weeks,” he said.

“Those who work on daily wages come to the market each day but traders do not have any work for them,” he said.

APP adds: CDA Director General (DG) Sanitation Nadeem Malik said about 160 sanitary workers had been deputed to clean both the roads after the participants of the sit-ins moved to Red Zone.

He said 80 sanitary workers were cleaning Khayaban-i-Suharwardy Road while 80 had been deputed on Kashmir Highway.

The DG said the officials concerned had been directed to complete the cleaning work within one day. He said the CDA was making special arrangements to remove garbage from the areas.

He said the authority was preparing a plan to clean Red Zone, adding that sanitary workers would be sent to the area as soon as possible.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2014