Backing down from earlier stand : Better late than never
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: January 26 2016 -

Better late than never.

At last some sense seems to have been knocked into the head of the State Government and this should explain its decision to back down from the plan to construct the temporary market sheds along Thangal bazar.

Not exactly the Government losing face and MLA from Thangmeiband Assembly Constituency Kh Joykishan emerging victorious, but it stands that the good sense was hammered in by the strong protest led by the MLA along with the people of Thangmeiband.

The question is why it took so long for the Government to come to its sense ?

More importantly where was its sense when it came up with the grand idea of constructing the temporary market shed along Thangal bazar ?

Who came up with this idea ?

Moreover what were the other members of the Council of Ministers doing at that time when the final touches were given to this plan ?

Another interesting development was when Government spokesman and CAF and PD Minister M Okendro announced before the media that the decision to house the women vendors at the temporary market shed was not dictated by contract works.

Who ever said that contract work was a factor for the decision to construct the market shed along the busy Thangal bazar ?

This very utterance of the CAF and PD Minister says something significant.

The Sangai Express had always been against the idea of constructing the market shed along Thangal bazar for the simple reason that Thangal bazar is the commercial hub of the State and it absolutely makes no sense to house the women vendors along this busy stretch.

Tough to say how the Government came to the realisation that it was a huge blunder to even consider housing the women vendors by the roadside of the busy Thangal bazar.

It is however not tough to say that the Government came to its senses only when the people of Thangmeiband raised their voices against the decision of the Government.

Thangal bazar is the destination of any shopper in Manipur and all go to this market place to purchase anything from nails to pails.

Difficult to even digest the point that the Government did entertain the idea of needlessly crowding this place while the idea around the world is to thin out the crowds.

This is the reason why The Sangai Express has been consistent in its stand that the Government should shed its Imphal centric approach and see how to relocate the other institutions located within the busy market stretch of Imphal.

This is also the reason why The Sangai Express had earlier questioned the wisdom of holding the State level Sangai Festival plum in the heart of Imphal.

Let this be a lesson to everyone, particularly the Government that the people have been suffering for too long just because it refuses to think before taking any decision which can impact on the daily existence of the people.