Women vendors launch stir in Manipur

Imphal, Oct 22: Women vendors under the leadership of Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Wednesday, Oct 22 started another stir to protest the Manipur government's move. The agitators tried to stop the transport of vegetables to the marketplaces and a confrontation ensued between the women vendors and the police.

Police said 19 women vendors were detained as a precautionary measure, adding the agitators were pushed back and not allowed to disturb the traffic. The JAC general secretary Thokchom Subadani threatene to launch an indefinite strike and demanded the release of those who were detained by the police.

The JAC said the women vendors had been selling vegetables for the past three decades beside the streets, adding about 3000 of them had licences.

''The licences were cancelled recently. But the Municipal Council continues to collect daily rent from the women vendors, who were mostly poverty-striken. They should be allowed to continue their service till the Ningol chakkouba festival on October 31,'' she said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh assured that the women vendors would be allotted space.

However, Imphal Municipal Council Chairperson M Ranisana defended the decision to evict the women vendors as they disturbed normal traffic.

UNI