The Bilal Gunj Factor
Sunday, July 4, 2010
The largest market of auto parts in the country is in Lahore. Here you can assemble together a 3000 cc motor vehicle from different auto parts. In the shadow of the legal business also runs underground black market that no one dares talk about
Lahore's Bilal Gunj market is one of the oldest markets in the city situated at backside of the renowned shrine of Sufi Saint Data Gunj Buksh. Bilal Gunj and adjacent areas are commonly known as centre of imported second-hand agricultural machinery, electric motors, compressors, auto and motorcycle parts.
The used parts business has been occurring since almost six decades. Traders? third generation has now taken up this market and is running it?s forefathers? business successfully. Because of this market people from across the province can get the genuine auto and motor cycles? parts but in cheap prices.
Though Bilal Gunj?s traders are facilitating the people through importing the used parts of the many types of machinery and they also pay millions of rupees in terms of excise duties and other taxes.
But as everyday many people have to be deprived from their motor-vehicles because of increasing the robbery and motor-vehicle snatching incidents in the provincial capital and other districts of the Punjab. That is why people think that traders of this market are putting up far sale the parts of the robbery?s vehicles. On the other hand instead of registering thousands of cases in this regard police could never detect the burglary vehicles.
Sunday plus strived to probe and detect regarding the theft vehicles whether these are selling out in this market or not and talked to many stake holders in this regard.
Most of the traders refused to accept these allegations but the contemporary prices of the used auto-parts themselves are speaking the reality because how can it be possible that the same new parts at name of used parts would be available in cheap prices while their original prices in the other auto-markets of the city are differing. So this situation has created some doubts.
Traders buy burglary vehicles in different prices like 1000-cc new model vehicle is bought at more than one hundred thousands and then after disintegration its parts are selling in more than two hundred thousands of rupees. But the most influential traders are dealing with this business. This is happening at limited scales,? sources revealed.
While talking to Sunday plus Mian Mohammed Ikram, Senior Vice President Anjuman-e-Tajran Auto Market Bilal Gunj said that the business community is suffering these days because of the inflation and selling of the smuggling goods openly but without any checks and balances.
On a quest he explained, ?Traders have many reservations and so much disturbed because of government?s vague policy regarding imports of the used auto-parts. Because of the smuggling and negligence of the custom, government is losing millions of rupees while we have to pay more than 1.7 million per container and on the other smuggled containers are coming without paying a single penny to the government. Through smuggling traders are earning billions but paying nothing in terms of taxation. This is one of the biggest issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible.
Bilal Gunj auto-market comprises more than 5000 traders and everybody is doing fair business over here. But it is just propaganda theory that is created by importers who are importing brand new Chinese auto-parts. They convey the massage to the general public that Bilal Gunj?s traders are involving for selling the theft goods. It is totally wrong perception,? he declined to accept
Our legal single container has reached here after two and half months but we see smuggled container comes here with four to five days because of that government has to take a great many losses. So government should impose strict ban on the smuggling goods that are coming from Afghanistan at the name of transit trade,? he deplored.
Frequently our traders execute business visits to different countries including Singapore, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Dubai and Thailand where they take apart in the auctions? of accident and used commercial and domestic vehicles.
Through auctions they are able to purchase these vehicles. Traders are importing 800 cc to 3000 cc engines, agricultural machinery, used auto-parts and other electronics equipments as well. So traders don?t need to buy the theft and robbery?s goods for selling. ? He briefed
Most of the politicians and influential bureaucratese from across the country have been using the Burglary vehicles but nobody can dare to ask them. Bilal Gunj?s traders are fulfilling all legal requirements and associated with the legal business activities.
We don?t sale any engine without the approval of CIA and Excise department. The fixed charges are paid to the excise then sold engine has been registered in the record of excise department.? He said.
This special report appeared in Nation, July 4, 2010 issue.
Labels: Accessories, Autos, Bilal Gunj, Lahore
posted by Dilshad Rao @ 2:11 PM,
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