Street vendors seek empty market space

IMPHAL, May 9: Women street vendors who were earlier selling their wares around the Kwairamband Keithel have today appealed to the state government to allow them space on the 1st floor of the three Khwairamband market sheds which are currently empty in a press conference held at the Manipur press club.

Speaking to the media at a press conference, Ningthoujam Ibe a woman vegetable street vendor said that there are more than 300 hundred vegetables street vendors in Imphal area in an around the three market sheds even as the street vendors are not allowed to sell anything by the state police personnel in the area.

She further added that some time back, the vegetable street vendors were given a place to sell their vegetable in Lamphel super market which led to a decrease in the sales volume owing to the location of the area. "We had no alternative but to leave the Super market area and take to selling our wares on the streets around the bazaar area," Ibe said.

She further appealed to the state government to allow the street vendors to sell their wares on the empty first floor of the women keithels considering the hardships being faced by the women to maintain their families.