It should be obvious to all. It however stands that the State Government has refused to understand the obvious and continues with its fixation with the existing commercial centres of Imphal. After The Sangai Express launched its campaign Traffic Circus : Manipur Style, it has become more and more clear that the traffic snarls that one witnesses on a daily basis in the capital of the State is not so much due to the number of vehicles but due to the refusal of the Government to look beyond Thangal Keithel, Paona Keithel, BT Road, MG Avenue, and the adjoining areas. The reason why these places are the destinations for quite a large number of people is not hard to fathom. From nails to pails and other necessities of life, all the shops and stores dealing with these goods are located at these said places. On top of these the historic Ima Keithel is also located at these said places. Making things worse is the presence of other establishments such as schools, banks and even Government offices at the main commercial centres of Imphal. So for almost everyone, the destination is always the places named here and it is hard to think that the Government has not been applying its mind on how to expand the capital horizontally. Things were not like this, say two or even a decade back, and now with people able to earn more and auto markets thriving with more and more models each year and with the banks generously stepping in and making available vehicle loans at easy interest, the number of vehicles has multiplied.
Unfortunately the roads have not increased or widened. Compounding the situation is the stoic refusal of the Government to act on the matter and see how things can be set right, at least to ease the traffic. Why not start shifting the schools and other Government establishments from the heart of the capital city and move them somewhere else. Is it compulsory that the office of the Public Works Department should remain where it is ? How about the office of the Life Insurance Corporation ? How about the schools ? Why can’t some of them be shifted from the commercial areas ? The Government seriously need to look beyond Imphal. Why not explore the idea of shifting some of the commercial establishments from its present location to somewhere out of the city ? Why not develop the market shed near Shanker Talkies at Lamphel so that a good number of shoppers may head towards Lamphel and not Khwairamband. Why not shift the schools, banks and other establishments somewhere to the outskirts of Imphal ? Along with these measures why not seriously get down to the business of introducing bus services ?
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