Market shed comes up at border village
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 03 2010: Realising one of the long cherished dreams of the Maring community settled along the Indo-Myanmar border in Chandel district, a market shed was inaugurated at Kampang Khullen yesterday.

Aptly named, Eastern Maring Friday Weekly Market shed, the market shed was constructed with the efforts of Eastern Maring Organisation (EMO) and Information Centre for Hill Areas of Manipur (ICHAM).

The inaugural function of the market shed was attended by ICHAM president N Rajendra as chief guest, Chingshanglakpa of Yekkul K Angdou as functional president and chief advisor of ICHAM M Shimray and office secretary N Jinjoi as guests of honour.

The market shed at the border in Cdl district being inaugurated

Speaking as chief guest, N Rajendra observed that putting faith on the promises made by politicians would bring nothing but enmity among the people.

Rajendra said that with Right to Information Act, we can now find out what are our shares in the development and who are misusing them.

So, the mutual distrust among the people over alleged deprivation of each other's shares can now be easily resolved with the help of this Act.

Stating that we should be ashame of ourselves in front of the people of other States for crying that we are suffering from shortage of food because of bandh and blockade imposed along the National Highways, Rajendra pointed out that dependent on others for all our needs has made us forget that we could be self-reliant.

So, instead of bickering among ourselves, we should try to compete in food production so as to make Manipur a welfare and self sufficient State.

While we are bickering among ourselves, self-styled leaders are depriving us of our shares.

It is because of this disunity, that the self-styled leaders have been taking us for granted, he added.

Rajendra hoped that inauguration of the market shed would help in uniting the people of the area as well as in increasing their economic activities.

He also clarified that ICHAM is only a social organisation working for the welfare of the people by exerting pressure and pin-pointing out to the Government on what is to be done and there is no question of profit earning from such developmental activities.

In his presidential address, K Angdou lamented that the Government has always neglected the Maring villagers settling along the border area of Chandel district.

Inspite of repeated appeals, no developmental work have been ever taken up to redress the grievances of the people.

The Government should initiate at least some measures to instill the faith on the people that there is a Government in place.

Informing that construction of a market shed in the area was one of the long cherished dreams of the people, Angdou also hoped that it would help in promotion of work culture among the people and generation of income.

Leaders of many Maring villages located along the border were present during the function and participated in the discussion of their mutual problems and difficulties.