The parking lots headache : Poverty of ideas
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 24 2016 -

Poverty of ideas. That the State Government just does not have any idea on how to deal with the increasing traffic congestion in the main commercial areas of Imphal need not be over emphasised.

This is perhaps best exemplified with the recent order banning the parking of all vehicles along the busy stretch of Paona Keithel.

The compulsion that the Government must be under is understandable, but there is the growing need to look inward and acknowledge that the policies and programmes of the Government may have just contributed to this too.

That not everyone is happy with the move of the Government is best exemplified by the protest lodged by the shopkeepers of Paona Keithel the other day and it is here that the Government needs to seriously ask why everyone heads towards Paona Keithel, Thangal Keithel, BT Road and the nearby areas for their shopping.

Anytime that people want to go shopping the destination is the same.

It is either Paona Keithel or Thangal Keithel or BT Road or the areas nearby and not any other place.

So for anything starting from nails to pails, one has to go to either one of the market places mentioned. And it has been like this for decades.

The question is why can’t the Government look beyond these commercial areas and seriously apply its mind on how to expand the idea of Imphal ?

The growing congestion in the commercial areas of Imphal should have woken the sensibilities of the Government a long time back.

Why not look beyond and see how to expand the market areas ?

Why not make better use of other shopping centres and why not construct fresh ones away from the heart of Imphal ?

It is here that the wisdom of constructing the new market place at the ground of the erstwhile Tombisana High School needs to be questioned.

The Government may have come up with the bright idea of not allowing vehicles to be parked in the main commercial centres of Imphal but where are the places for the vehicles to be parked ?

Has the Government given any thought to this ?

Sounds ludicrous to expect the people to park their vehicles far away from the market place and expect them to walk back with the heavy merchandise they have purchased.

How about the shopkeepers ? Has the Government earmarked any spot for them to park their vehicles while they are managing their shops ?

These are questions which the Government should have thought over before coming up with its bright idea, which is half baked at best.