Tensions erupted at Khwairamband bazaar on Tuesday as street vendors confronted police personnel in a heated argument when the latter attempted to disperse street vendors after 8 am, following the announcement made on Monday to ban street vendors from 8 am in and around Khwairamband bazaar.
Caretaker of Imphal Municipal Corporation L Lokeshwor had earlier announced that the step was taken to ease traffic congestion in and around Khwairamband Ima Market as a part of the smart city plan.
He said that from Tuesday onwards, the street vendors will not be allowed to vend at Khwairamband bazaar after 8 am and they are to continue normal work by shifting at Lamphel Supermarket campus, Imphal West.
After 8 am of Tuesday, police personnel along with IMC staff tried to disperse the street vendors who were vending in and around Khwairamband Ima market, and they were instructed to continue vending at Lamphel Supermarket complex. However, the street vendors declined from obliging to the new rules.
The street vendors expressed strong dissatisfaction towards the action of IMC officials and police personnel.
Lokeshwor on the sidelines of the drive told the media that the step was taken to ease traffic congestion, including problems on parking space issues in and around the Khwairamband Ima market area.
He stressed that the street vendors who are vending along Paona and Thangal market stretch are now allowed to vend only up till 8 am. Considering that the traffic volume increases after 8 am, it needs to be controlled and street vendors should cooperate with IMC and police personnel, he said.
Lokeshwor further urged vehicle owners not to park their vehicles along the Paona and Thangal market stretch and instead park their vehicles at the allotted parking area.
He further said that IMC with the help of traffic police will start using recovery vans to seize vehicles found parked along the stretch.
Meanwhile, one of the street vendors questioned, “How can we shift right away to another place when IMC launched the drive all of a sudden?”
“Most of the street vendors here are daily bread earners, not from rich families and we are conducting our daily business irrespective of weather and seasons in order to run our families,” she said. The street vendors will not go to work at Lamphel Supermarket as the area is not a business area, she added.
She further appealed to the state government to find another solution by allotting a vending space at Khwairamband.
In the afternoon, street vendors were seen continuing their business in and around Khwairamband Ima Market, except at the beautified Thangal market road.
While police personnel attempted to control the street vendors, commuters including shop owners of Paona and Thangal market stretch started parking their vehicles along the stretch as before.
