Unlicensed street vendors in an unlicensed screaming act
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 09 2011 -
UNLICENSED STREET vendors are just like us, that is they are regular fellow human beings. With the exception that, they live a very different life style compared to ours.
Or else, can anyone consider it an accepted occupation to wake up at day break and promptly go about to block pavements, an act which in their distorted definition of justice, is considered and defined as the embodiment of the right to work.
Since these vendors are all women, resistance against their actions are bound to be tepid. One asks how does one argue against errant women who are set to derail accepted social norms.
Most self respecting married males will reply in a loud chorus, 'Run for the hills'. But that will be of no avail, because our hill brethren the ones with boxing gloves on, and who are careful to examine and re-examine us, will be ready to tell us at the foothills, 'Get Back'.
Enough digression, how are we to look upon the noisome ranks of the unlicensed women street vendors demanding permanently allotted lots in the Imphal bazar.
They consider and articulate that the government has duped them because the authority of the Imphal Municipal Council had taken ' 10 from each of them on the promise that they, the unlicensed street women vendors, would then be provided permanent stalls or lots within the Imphal bazar area.
The government says it is willing to provide these unlicensed vendors lots in the Lamphel Shopping Complex. The vendors have replied, 'Nothing doing' and the CM has retorted by saying the government did not construct footpaths so that these vendors could utilise them as vendor lots. Actually the CM went further by posing the question whether the government is going to tear down historical sites just to provide vendor lots.
But what are we to understand of this funny, that is the Ha Ha type, situation. If the opposing sides were to fight with paper swords and stern posturing we could have watched on till kingdom come.
However, the unlicensed women vendors have upped the ante, and are bent on making their stir a 'peoples struggle'. Their stand now is, give us stalls, or else the footpaths belong to us.
Let us now take stock of the situation and discuss, or mull over, on what is to be done. The government should take a definitive stand that footpath squatting vendors cannot make a claim that by having successfully denied utility of footpaths to pedestrians they have subsequently got a legal right to claim for rights to stalls.
And a plea to the protesting vendors, please first acquire licences, and that, if the government cannot evict you from the footpaths, our humble submission is, will you next be occupying the streets.
We understand we all live in a time which is disturbed and strange, but there is a medically certified limit to being disturbed and strange.
Let us act normal for once.
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