Leader Writer: Shobaraj Yumlembam
With unemployment being one of the largest issues being faced in the state, less fortunate women like women vendors willingly or unwillingly have to avoid sitting idle and come out of their homes, to earn daily bread, feed their children and support their families, with the meagre sum they earn at the end of their day’s work. Many other such women engage themselves in labour works of various kinds. In the current situation prevailing in Manipur where numerous issues, violence and crimes prevails, these less fortunate women deserves encouragement as they do not prefer to use foul and illegal means to make money. Instead, it has become a regular sight that either state security personnel chase street vendors away or scatter around the wares sold by them around the Khwairamband Keithel. It is often a common sight to see traffic control police (TCP) personnel doing the same, usually using abrasive tones. The reason for this is that these women street vendors are earning their livelihood by selling their wares mostly at the footpaths around the Keithel, congesting the road. But over everything else, they happen to be women who belong to the lower social rungs and hence, without any connections to be able to occupy a market space. As soon as the dull yellow vehicle attached with a loudspeaker starts approaching with a TCP personnel speaking on the mike to vacate the area, these women vendors have to pack back their belongings and wander about the market to locate a safer place to sell their wares. This activity goes on everyday without a better solution being sorted out yet. However, one could rarely or almost not at all see those men in uniform either chasing away male street vendors who sell their wares on foot (standing) or spreading about their goods by the road sides. It goes without saying that these male vendors on foot are also causing the same inconvenience i.e. congesting the road.
Recently, women street vendors who were selling their wares around the Kwairamband Keithel have appealed to the state government to allow them to use the space on the 1st floor of the three Khwairamband market sheds which are currently empty, considering the hardships being faced by the women to maintain their families. Many among the women vegetable street vendors had said that there are more than 300 hundred vegetables street vendors in Imphal area in an around the three market sheds even as the street vendors are not allowed to sell anything by the state police personnel in the area. Some time back, the vegetable street vendors were given a place to sell their vegetable in Lamphel super market which led to a decrease in the sales volume owing to the location of the area, thereby making them come back to the main bazaar area.
It is high time that the concerned authority take up appropriate measures to provide convenient areas preferred by the street vendors to sell their wares in peace, which will also considerably release the congestion along the roadsides. Speaking only about the congestion being caused, the manner of vehicles being parked along the roadsides like double parking, unsystematic parking and parking at ‘No Parking’ area contribute to the crowding. With the ever increasing number of vehicles, the government should do the needful for the parking issue by constructing large parking lots, otherwise, even if the issue of women vendors is sorted out, there is no doubt that there would still be road congestion.
In a function recently held at Emoinu Ima Keithel, the state Social Welfare Minister has assured that a new market complex will be constructed considering the inconveniences of the women vendors selling vegetables on the road sides. Although it is a good gesture of her, wouldn’t it be much better if the vacant first floor of the three Khwairamband market sheds is allotted to these women, the place which they too prefer? This in turn will save the Government’s finances which is the rightful money of the public in any case besides saving time in constructing a new market complex.