Street vendors mount pressure for plot
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 08 2011:
While welcoming the welfare measures for street vendors being initiated by the State authorities, Roadside Vendors' Welfare Association and Khwairamband Keithel Street Vendors Co-ordinating Committee have exerted pressure on the Government for allotting suitable plot to the street vendors of Khwairamband Bazar at the earliest possible.
A joint meeting of the street vendors of Khwairamband Bazar held under the aegis of Roadside Vendors' Welfare Association today has adopted four resolutions.
In the first resolution, the street vendors have given January 17 as the deadline to the Government for providing suitable plots for them so that they could continue with their normal trading activities.
In the second resolution, it was decided that Roadside Vendors' Welfare Association take the responsibility of meeting any challenge if anybody tries to take advantage of the situation.
In the third resolution, it was endorsed that no street vendor from other areas other than those recognised by the Association should be allowed.
In the fourth and last resolution, the street vendors resolved that once the street vendors are given plot in the temporary market sheds, Imphal Municipal Council should issue identity cards to the vendors concerned for collecting some nominal taxes.
Street vendors who are selling goods along BT Road side, in front of Family Welfare office, along Kasturi bridge, in front of Johnstone Higher Secondary School, along Uripok Road side, near GM Hall, etc were also present during the meeting.
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On the other hand, Street Vendors' Co-ordinating Committee, while addressing a press conference at Manipur Press Club here today, has also fervently appealed to the Government of Manipur for allotting suitable plots to the street vendors at the earliest possible as well.
Addressing the press conference, Committee convenor Lishangbam Ongbi Seema Devi observed that the Government of Manipur should properly identify the street vendors and provide them suitable plots.
In this regard and highlighting the difficulties being faced by street vendors, the Committee has already submitted representation to the Chief Minister, MAHUD Commissioner, MAHUD Director, PDA Chairman and Special Administrator of Imphal Municipal Council on November 12, 2010.So, taking into consideration of the difficulties being faced by the street vendors, the Government should identity them properly and the number of street vendors cannot be decided merely on the basis of the photographs taken by the students of Manipur University, Seema said.
In case, the Government does not heed to this demand, then genuine street vendors would have no option but to take recourse to intense agitations, she added.
Comprising 218 households, Thonglang Akutpa village has a total population of 1560 villages while the population of Songjang village is said to be around 700 people with 117 households.