IMPHAL, January 16: Furious over the construction of a temporary market shed by barricading the Thangal Bazar road for the displaced Ima Market vendors, Thangmeiband MLA Kh Joykishan today made the construction workers to dismantle the fencing erected around the site and to immediately stop all works, and threatened to file a PIL against the involved contractors.
He further challenged Works minister Kh Ratan asking if he even knows the meaning of emergency work.
The MLA said although the work has been taken up in his own constituency, the government failed to inform him, which he said is an insult to an elected representative of the people.
During a visit to the site this morning around 10:15, Joykishan said since he was out of the State and returned only yesterday he learned of the construction only yesterday.
He said now that he has identified the contractors involved as Chandraj and Santabir, he will file a Public Interest Litigation against them for initiating the construction without any work order and blocking the road without acquiring any proper work permission.
It is unfortunate that the contractors had no work order from the concerned PWD, while the concerned City Police Station had not taken any official permission for blocking the Thangal Bazar Road.
At the same time it is also unfortunate that the Chief Minister has maintained a silence while a market shed is being constructed right upon a major road in the heart of the city, he asserted.
This work is not in the interest of the “Ima vendors of Ima Market,” but an attempt to take advantage of the situation for some money, he claimed.
He further said that it is unfortunate that the contractors had mentioned the Chief Minister’s name which has created a doubt as to whether the CM is involved in the work.
He questioned further if a CM has the right to block any road anywhere in the State and what rights are allotted to a Chief Minister under the Indian Constitution.
How could a construction be undertaken without any work order and without proper drawing of the structure? he demanded.
On enquiry the contractors have revealed that no supervisor of the PWD were present at the construction site, he said.
Meanwhile, came to the MLA’s residence questioning why he had disrupted the construction.
They demanded the MLA to provide an alternative space for them as he has dismantled the construction; however, local womenfolk of the MLA came out and dispersed the other group.
