LAHORE - Despite soaring prices of second hand warm clothes, people belonging to lower stratum of the society have thronged 'Landa Bazaars of the City as the winter season has reached its peak. Taking advantage of the cold weather some opportunist traders have increased the prices of old stuff as well, a survey conducted by The Nation revealed. As business of warm clothes is on the rise in the provincial metropolis particularly after the change of weather, the people belonging to different walks of life are rushing towards the markets for buying warm items like socks, caps, sweaters, coats and jackets for warming up their bodies in cold weather. As the prices of new winter garments are beyond the reach of a common man owing to inflation, the citizens changed their direction towards Lanada Bazaars considering them 'cheap but unfortunately high-priced used clothes also disappointed them. Thousands of buyers including women, youngsters, children and old aged were witnessed in Lunda Bazaars of the city. Many of them were purchasing used clothes for their families while the youngsters were trying jackets, sweaters and caps of their size. Moreover, the people, particularly belonging to the poor, lower middle and middle class of the society, are compelled to purchase second hand clothes as they are already pressed hard by the spiraling prices of other items of daily use coupled with growing unemployment. The second hand clothes go a long way economically in helping the poor given the current costly living. A buyer, Naeem, complained that by getting advantage of high prices of the new winter garments, the shopkeepers had also increased the prices of second hand garments due to which, he said the low-income class would not be able to purchase even such like clothes this winter. Giving account of prices of various stuff, he said that last year socks which were available in the range of Rs 15 to Rs 40 were now available at Rs 30 to Rs 60 while sweaters were available at Rs 100 to Rs 2,000, jackets Rs 300 to Rs 5,000, shirts at Rs 100 to Rs 500 and single piece coats were available at Rs 200 to Rs 3,000 while a complete suit of various brands was available in the range of Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000. He commented that prices of such second hand clothes had doubled as compared to the previous years. A woman buyer, Bushra Bibi, said she was a regular costumer of used clothes and often visited Main Landa Market and other markets located outside Mayo Hospital, Anarkali Bazaar, Chah Miran Market, Ichra, Samanabad, Empress Road near Borh wala Chouk and some others. She told the rates of such used garments were not as much high but with the start of winter season the shopkeepers were charging extra amount and were earning a lot which was unjustified. Shahid Butt, a salesman at a readymade garments shop said the business of new warm clothes and winter garments failed to picking up momentum because citizens of low income group were reluctant to purchase such costly clothes while the well-off section of the society had also shown less interest about them over the last few year for the price hike factor. He said the overall business of newly stitched readymade garments has faced a considerable decrease.