Five days after the orders of the Chief Secretary Sindh, the authorities had attempted to close the bird and animal shops located at the market. Although the shops remained closed for a few hours, they were soon reopened after negotiations with the shopkeepers’ leaders and local administration.
Every Sunday, a large number of pet buyers and sellers visit the Bird Market from various parts of the city. While the sellers are spotted carrying different types of birds, dogs, cats and rabbits, the buyers are seen observing the animals and negotiating their prices with their owners.
“This market offers a source of income for many people hailing from poor localities, who sell their animals and earn money. For this purpose, they have set up small nurseries at their homes. Hence, this market is a Sunday Bazaar of pets,” said Abdul Rehman, a shopkeeper at the market, who has been involved in this business since the past ten years.
When the 40 bird shops located in Saddar’s Bird Bazaar opened after 12 noon, The Express Tribune asked the shopkeepers’ leader Badshah Khan about the agreement that had been reached with the administration. Badshah Khan revealed that it had been decided that the shopkeepers would not encroach there and would keep their birds and animals inside their shops.
Area Magistrate Rana Sufyan, who was present at the bird market, told The Express Tribune that the primary problem was illegal encroachment and the gathering of a large number of people every Sunday. “Due to this, people living in the nearby apartments were facing a lot of trouble. We have been coming here since last Sunday. Whatever orders we receive in the future, we will implement them,” assured Sufyan.
Sharing their discontent, Muhammad Khan and Ali Ahmed, residents of Rambo Centre, a residential apartment building located adjacent to the bird market, opined that this problem will continue as long as the bird and animal shops remained. “It is not possible for the police or the local administration to be present here every Sunday with the necessary personnel to ensure that illegal encroachments do not happen again,” they scoffed.
On the other hand, Khan, the leader of the shopkeepers, maintained that all the bird shops located in Saddar were legal. “We have permits from the local administration to run our shops here. If the residents around these shops have any problems, they can go talk to the administration. If an alternative location is provided, we can consider shifting but we can’t believe the government’s claims since a few years ago, when these shops were removed from the Empress Market, the bird sellers were promised an alternative place, but this has not been implemented till date,” criticized Khan.
When inquired about the legality of the bird business, Javed Mehar, Chief Conservator of the Wildlife Department, shared some rules. “It is mandatory to have a license from the Wildlife Department and permission from other relevant agencies for the breeding and trading of certain wild birds or animals. Along with this, they also have to follow the conditions imposed to keep the birds or animals in good condition. Similarly, the people living in the place where these bird shops are established should not object to it,” said Mehar.