Imphal, April 02 2010: With the Government of Manipur not in a position to run and maintain the trade centre at Moreh, which was set up with the stated objective of enhancing export-import activities of Indo-Myanmar border trade, the same is likely to be handed over to a private firm.

According to a reliable source in the Commerce and Industries Department, the idea of handing over affairs of running the trade centre has been mooted as the shopkeepers in the ground floor to whom the trade licenses have been given have not cleared their outstanding rent and is difficult to evict them due to political interference.

To look into and finalise the matter related to handing over the trade centre to a private firm, a State level committee on trade and commerce had already been formed with former Principal Secretary of Commerce and Industries as the chairman.

The Director of Commerce and Industries and a representative of the Finance Department are the Committee members.

After an inspection of existing condition of the trade centre, the committee had even recommended forceful eviction of the shopkeepers who are occupying the shops without paying any rent, and forfeiting their deposit amount of Rs 5,000 .

Payable monthly rent from each shop is Rs 1500.However, with exception to just two shops, the rest have not paid their rent since 2006.At the request of the trade license holders who are occupying these shops, the amount of the rent too had been reduced to Rs 700 per month.

Yet, none have paid their rent.

Constructed with MANIDCO as the work agency, the foundation stone of the present trade centre had been laid by the then Chief Minister W Nipamacha in 1999 and inaugurated by then Commerce and Industries Thoudam Debendra on September 30, 2003 .

Since the inaugural of the trade centre, none of the rooms in the first floor of the building which are categorised as VIP room I and II have been ever repaired.

The air coolers installed inside these rooms are not functioning and there is shortage of water in the bathrooms most of the time.

Following long years of negligence and lack of proper maintenance, the VIP rooms are also in apathetic condition today with none of the cable line, TV and CD players working.

Presently, a woman Tailoring Inspector of the Commerce and Industries Department is looking after the trade centre as its caretaker.

There is no other responsible officer or staff besides her.

The caretaker is due to be retired from service in six months.

She alone has been sweeping the floor, arranging water from the fire services when there tap runs dry and operating the generator when there is no light.

In the event of organising any meeting in the conference room of the trade centre, the lone caretaker has been arranging the chairs and even serving tea.

Inspite of all these works, she is being blamed by everyone who hired rooms to stay in the trade centre.

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