Smiles of the Emas; Govt should take their blessing by vaccinating them
- Imphal Times Editorial :: February 20, 2021 -

The re-opening of the three Ema Market or Women’s market, which is located in the heart of the Imphal City by the state government is no doubt an indicator that the situation of COVID-19 in Manipur is improving.

CM N Biren Singh re-opened the three markets on 15th February this year after a closedown of 11 months. The state government closed down the market on 21st March of the impending COVID-19 threat.

This timely action by the state government as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of the Coronavirus in the state, helped to some extent as these markets are the hub of trade and commerce in Imphal.

The working capital loans to 817 women vendors distributed by the State Government after the lockdown has been lifted in August last year to help the vendors financially to some extent and the waiving off of the vendor license fee for a year is a commendable act by the Government.

The re-opening of these markets after almost a year now bring smiles to the elderly vendors who have been confined to their home for these past 11 months since the lockdown.

Saying so, one missing part is that, the state Health Department seems to forget that the vendor ladies of the three Ema market are venerable people.

Had they understand this the health Department should at least prepare for vaccination of anti covid-19 vaccines before opening it. However it is also not too late, the vendor lady who are over 50 years old need to be vaccinated to ensure that the market is 99% safe from Coronavirus invasion.

This market is just not a place to sell and earn livelihood, but a place where all these middle aged and the elderly women from every nook and corner of Manipur, assemble and share their problems, joys and sorrow with one another, thus helping them psychologically.

There have been instances where women vendor fell ill after she stopped going to the market. This intermingling of people and sharing their everyday life joys and sorrows helped in the overall psychological health of the elderly. This, reopening is indeed a blessing to these women vendors.

However, the many restrictions imposed upon by the Imphal Municipal Corporation while opening the market is not so satisfactory.

No doubt, COVID-19 SOP protocols should be followed while re-opening such huge public gathering places but this Corporation turned a blind eye when it is in the case of shopping malls and other public gathering places in and around Imphal city.

There have been hues and cry in social media about huge people thronging in shopping centers and not following SOP laid down by the government.

In such cases, why did the IMC remained a mute spectator, whereas it laid down many Dos and Don’ts for Ima Keithel?

Are the Ema Markets only prone to COVID-19 spread and these so called shopping malls and centres immune to COVID-19?

If the IMC is seriously working their part to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in public gathering places, it should not have turn a blind eye to these shopping centres and malls, within its jurisdiction.

As normalcy has slowly resumed in Imphal, the problem of Parking space has again cropped up in Greater Imphal area.

The IMC should devise a way to solve this parking space problem. Roads have been turned into parking area and fees are collected for parking vehicles in such parking. The entire Thangal and Paona bazaar is in such a mess that, it no longer looks like a road but parking area.