KARACHI:
The drowning of the 39 ill-fated picnickers on Karachi’s beaches brought Eid festivities to an abrupt end for many families. But it is not just the families who lost their loved ones that felt the brunt of the government’s inadequacies.
Under pressure from the media and the civil society in the aftermath of the tragedy, the government seemingly decided to take the easy way out and close the beach for picnickers.
This ban has still not been lifted. Meanwhile, the operators of small businesses who depend on the beach for survival are left with no source of income.
While the fishermen, who used to fish at the Sea View, protested the ban and managed to get special permission from the authorities, the other businesses weren’t so lucky. These include the camel and horse jockeys, ATV vehicles (four-wheeler bikes) owners, photographers, tea, sweets and toffee vendors, popcorn and corn grain sellers, food stall owners and even those who rented plastic chairs for the visitors to watch the sunset and provided clean water to wash the sand off. Some of them have started working other jobs. Others are waiting for the government to lift the ban so they can resume their small businesses.
Eighteen ATV vehicles and beach buggies are parked at the Javed Garage in Shireen Jinnah Colony since the day the ban was imposed. Some, covered by filthy cloths, are standing in the locality’s narrow streets, serving as shelter for stray dogs who nap under them. Before the ban, these vehicles embroidered with colourful disco lights and loud music players, would serve as entertainment for the revelers at the beach. “I used to make up to Rs1,500 by mid night and that was enough for me, my family and for the maintenance of the vehicle,” said Jamshed Ali, a resident of Masan, who owns two four-wheeler bikes. Ali and his friend, Iftikhar Ahmed, now work as labourers and fill sand trucks to meet their family’s needs. “More than 100 bikes owners have lost their livelihood with the ban,” said Yousuf Shah, another person affected by the ban. “Some have sold their vehicles to the scrapyard because they had nothing to eat.”
Animals become a burden
Shah Faisal Jan spends his time at the beach with his 13 camels tethered under the shades of nearby trees. “A few weeks ago, my camels were feeding me and my family. Since the second day of Eid, however, they have become a burden.” Each camel eats food worth Rs300 daily and Jan has borrowed Rs70,000 on the guarantee that he will return it after selling a camel on the upcoming Eid. He used to charge Rs100 per trip from people and would make Rs800 through a camel per day. “I can’t leave them to go do another job because they constantly need to be looked after. The government should have mercy on our children and allow us to resume our work.”
Noor Rehman complained that his horses were growing sick due to lack of exercise. “The government has confined the horses to small huts and posts. Their legs are swelling because they need to walk and run,” he said worriedly. He was hoping to make Rs5000 per day during the Eid holidays and on Independence Day but the ban did the opposite and he is now struggling to feed the horses.
For his part, Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said that the beach was open for walks and they have directed the police to ‘gradually’ allow activities to resume. “Swimming and going into the sea will still be banned,” he said.
The jockeys and other vendors are, however, still not allowed to enter the beach. The commissioner said that the Defence Housing Authority manages them.
The jockeys complained that the DHA vigilance teams detain their animals if they try to proceed towards the beach and fine them Rs2,000 per animal for trespassing. DHA PRO Aurangzaib Unar, when questioned about the issue, called it a “baseless story.” He said that DHA vigilance was there to maintain order in the area.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 31st, 2014.
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