Shoppers keenly await dip in temperatures

Charminar: With summer at its peak, the Ramzan shoppers are avoiding venturing out during afternoon hours, making most of the business establishments to focus on their sales post Iftar. Amongst many reasons attributed to the low turnout of shoppers in the old City's Charminar and other areas in the mid of the month, the prevailing heat wave conditions is cited as top reasons.

In the business areas in Charminar, Pathergatti, Madina Building, Hussaini Alam, Shalibanda, Mallepally, Nampally, Toli Chowki the businessmen are said to be facing losses this year due to the hot summer.

The temperatures are recorded the highest in the recent decades, as it is touching 45 degree Celsius. During daytime the roads are seen deserted due to intense heat and in the evening the temperature is remaining at around 28 to 32 degree. Many of the businessmen are worried about their businesses this year and expecting for some kind of a miracle from almighty.

According to the businessmen near Charminar, the business has gone down due to hot summer even in the famous bazaars of the area. Even as the Ramzan season reached its halfway mark, the businesses are not picking up pace. Some business establishments go without any footfall during the whole day, and the customers are seen only after 9.00 pm. "We shopkeepers are getting our first customer at night.

Our investment during Ramzan is about Rs 5 to 6 lakh, but this is the situation after fortnight of Ramzan. The bulk material, we procured with the hope of selling, is yet to be unsealed. Hardly 10 to 15 customers are shopping at Charminar, which is the biggest shopping hub in the city," lamented Mohammed Iqbal, who runs ready-made garments shop near Charminar.

Iqbal also said that the dress material shops for both men and women are in losses, as some of the customers generally buy the raw material to handover to tailors in the beginning, which is rarely seen this year. While the readymade garments are sold mostly in the last few days of Ramzan, if the temperature remains the same, then there will be a problem for us this year", he added.

Mohammed Fazil, the owner of Men's readymade shop in Mallepally, observed that this is the first time in Ramzan season that no customer is seen during daytime. Only after 10 pm, the customers are rushing for shopping and the shopkeepers are unable to handle the rush, he said.

"This kind of shopping by customers is making us lose some of them. We are waiting for decrease in the temperatures during day and hope customers visit bazaars in daytime," he said.

By MM Farooqui