KCCI urges traders to report customs raids, seeks space for evicted shopkeepers

KARACHI: The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has urged traders to report any raids by customs authorities that result in losses due to inaccurate declaration of goods, and said it was working to secure space for shopkeepers displaced by an anti-encroachment drive.

Zubair Motiwala, chairman of the Businessmen Group (BMG) and former president of KCCI, said the chamber had made efforts to stop such raids by taking up the matter with customs officials, which had slowed down the pace of such actions.

"Karachi chamber made a lot of efforts to stop such riads by taking up this matter with customs authorities which has resulted in slowing down the pace of such raids to some extent," Motiwala told a meeting of traders on Wednesday.

Vice chairman BMG Jawed Bilwani, president KCCI Iftikhar Ahmed Sheikh, senior vice president Altaf A. Ghaffar, vice president Tanveer Ahmed Barry, chairman special committee for small traders Majeed Memon, PCLC chief Hafeez Aziz, former presidents Junaid Makda, Muhammad Idrees and KCCI managing committee members along with a large number of representatives of various commercial markets’ associations attended the meeting.

Motiwala advised traders to immediately report such raids to KCCI so that action could immediately be taken as it has been observed that such incidents were belatedly being reported at chamber which creates more complications.

He also said the chamber was in touch with the mayor of Karachi to allot space to shopkeepers whose shops were demolished under a court order in Empress Market, Jubilee Market, Mairaj Market and Aladdin Park under an anti-encroachment drive.

“Numerous meetings and discussions have been held with Mayor Karachi from time to time who never refuses and always assures to allot space at suitable locality to displaced shopkeepers," he said. "We are fairly optimistic that all the affectees of anti-encroachment drive will get allotment letters soon after the general elections.”

Chairman BMG further stated that Karachi Chamber gives special attention to all the issues being faced by small traders and shopkeepers without any discrimination.

“All of you are equal to us as we believe that a trader is a trader, hence, it is unwise to use the term small trader or a big trader as those, who are small traders today, would one day become bigger.”

He was of the opinion that the law & order situation has deteriorated during the last four to six months, hence, the chamber approached the high-ups of law enforcing agencies to seek assistance and was constantly in touch with them so that the situation could be improved. “I along with KCCI Office Bearers regularly monitor the progress of numerous law & order related complaints on a monthly basis with an intention to ensure quick relief to the complainants.”

Replying to concerns expressed over electricity issues, he said that the chamber regularly takes up all such electricity issues being faced by business community with relevant officials at KE and it was encouraging to see that most of these issues are quickly resolved by KE.

“Anyone facing any type of electricity related problem should immediately approach chairman of public sector utilities subcommittee who actively takes up these matters with relevant KE officials.”