As sales dip, Keithel vendors issue SOS
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, April 08 2023:
Along with staging a demonstration on Saturday, women vendors of the three Khwairamband Keithel have urged the state government to frame a policy for drawing customers as the historic all women market which identify Manipur to the world is on the verge of being rendered to an unviable entity due to drop in sales.
Working Cqmmit tee-Khwairamband Ima Keithel co-convener Asem Nirmala told media persons on the sidelines of the demonstration that providing vending space to street vendors all around the three Khwairamband Keithel, selling of goods available at Khwairamband Keithel in shops around the three markets and closure of entrance to the Khwairamband Keithel in the name of Smart City Project have given severe impact on the trading activities of the vendors in the three markets as their sales continue to drop significantly.
The Government had been apprised about the matter repeatedly and even protests staged several times in this regard, she said.
To solve the problem of street vendors, government constructed a market shed for street vendors at temporary Khwairamband Keithel and told street vendors to do their trading on rotation, morning and evening shifts.
However, there is no rotation system at present as street vendors of morning shift continue their trading till evening.
The government also constructed a market shed for street vendors at Lamphel Super Market and it remains useless till date, she pointed out, and asked as to why the huge space for street vendors at Lamphel is being wasted.
Large number of street vendors who claim that they are denied vending slots at the temporary market and Lamphel throng all the sides of the three Khwairamband Keithel every day from early morning till evening thereby giving severe impact to genuine vendors of Khwairamband Keithel as the rate of trading has been declining.
Amidst this, closure of the main entrance to Keithel No 1 and 3 in the name of Smart City project is another reason for potential customers avoiding the market, Asem Nirmala said, adding that vendors could not survive by converting the area as selfie point in the evening with bright light of different colours.
She then urged the government to re-open the closed road so that customers could get easy access to the market.