First round to Thangmeiband MLA : Time for Govt to climb down
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: January 21 2016 -
The Government ought to be ashamed.
It is not exactly a question of who is the winner and who is the loser, but by all accounts it is obvious that Thangmeiband Assembly Constituency MLA Kh Joykishan has come out in a better light than the Government which obviously cannot use its mental faculty.
For two consecutive days, commercial activities were paralysed at Thangal bazar thanks to the quixotic stand of the Government that the women vendors who had to be moved out from Ima Keithel should be housed in the temporary market shed plum in the ‘middle’ of the road at Thangal bazar.
It was against this nonsensical decision of the Government that the MLA took to the streets and asked the women vendors to move from the temporary market shed as it had literally cut off all sort of human movement in the busy Thangal bazar area.
Two days lost and while it may be questioned whether this was desirable or not, Kh Joykishan has obviously come out stronger.
It was a political statement as well as a demonstration that the Government should not entertain the idea that it can walk away with ideas which do not make sense.
Taking the people along, that is what the MLA did and it should be more than obvious that the people of Thangmeiband AC were more than ready to extend all possible co-operation and send out a message to the Government. This is where the Government stands defeated.
It is not yet clear whether the Government will listen to reason but it is undeniable that it absolutely makes no sense to house the displaced women vendors on the road of Thangal bazar.
Why can’t the Government explore ideas and consult experts before coming up with the idea of settling the displaced women vendors on the road of Thangal bazar ?
This is a question which the Government should have considered long before it came up with its ludicrous idea.
It is not that Imphal lacks open space to shift the women vendors until Ima Keithel is repaired, but it is more than obvious that what is lacking is the willingness and the readiness to look beyond the commercial centres of the city.
As suggested before why can’t the women vendors be housed atop the Naga nullah ?
Or why not use some other place which will not hamper the movement of people ?
That this is happening when the talk is about including Imphal in the list of cities to be earmarked for making it a Smart City is unacceptable.
At the moment the first round has gone to the MLA from Thangmeiband AC and the Government should be red faced, that is if it knows the meaning of shame.
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