Correspondent
Normal shopping and traffic was paralyzed in Imphal after thousands of street vendors protested against police eviction drive against them.
Vendors on the streets in and around the Khwairamband Keithel (market) in the heart of the capital city began agitation after police started evicting them following an order of the government.
An order issued by Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMC) on April 18 restricted street vendors from vending their wares after 8am in the morning.
To implement the order, city police teams, using a public address system, warned street vendors to vacate the spaces flanking the streets as they would not be allowed to sell their wares after 8am.
When police carried out the eviction drive, thousands of street vendors converged on the street near Khwairamband Keithel, blocking traffic in the biggest business hub of the state.
A strong city police team rushed to the spot and urged the street vendors to cooperate and told them that they were implementing the government’s order.
Even as the OC of the city police tried his best to convince the vendors, caretaker mayor of the Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMC) L Lokeshwor along with officials of the corporation arrived at the spot and tried to convince the street vendors.
He said that the move of the IMC was aimed at checking traffic congestion on the streets in the city.
He informed them that steps to relocate street vendors at the new market shed at Lamphel Supermarket where street vendors can move to the new market shed to sell their wares.
However, the street vendors said the space was not suited for their business, while recalling earlier experience.
They said the state government had earlier arranged the same space for them but the plan failed as customers were unwilling to visit the new market site as it is located in a far corner of the city coupled with bad road conditions.
The street vendors demanded an appropriate space nearby the Khwairamband Keithel where they can sell their wares even after 8 am.
After they failed to arrive at a consensus, the caretaker mayor invited leaders of the street vendors to come to his office later in the afternoon for further talks.
The street vendors had to suspend their business for the day as the police prohibited them from vending their wares in the city market area for the day.