The state government on Tuesday announced that 602 stalls have registered for the upcoming Sangai festival with 445 stalls making confirmation and 420 stalls already completing payment for the stalls.
As per the officials, among the 420 paid stalls, 159 are food stalls, all of which have been applied for and allocated to vendors from Manipur and the remaining 261 are commercial stalls, including 212 from Manipur and 49 from other states.
Though the stall charges for regular applicants are Rs.15,000 for food stalls and Rs. 10,000 for commercials stalls, the 25 stalls(11 commercial and 14 food stalls) for IDPS are exempted from stall fees.
As per the officials, further allocation of IDP stalls may be made based on recommendations from the concerned Deputy Commissioners to the Directorate of Trade, Commerce and Industries, Manipur. IDP applications will be verified by the respective deputy commissioners and any allocation will be cancelled if fraudulent cases are detected.
On the other hand, representatives of IDPs from Moreh, Serou, Ikou, Churachandpur and other affected areas have called for revoking the upcoming Sangai Festival, announcing that an intensified agitation will begin on November 20 which is a day before the Sangai festival will commence
Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity(COCOMI) also called on the public to collectively oppose the Sangai Festival by displaying banners across all localities on November 21.
COCOMI convener Khuraijam Athouba while briefing to the media on Tuesday during a meeting at the COCOMI office in Lamphel, in the presence of IDPS and other organisations said that IDPs and several other organisations working alongside COCOMI have decided to reject and boycott the festival while adding that a mass protest by IDPs is being organised on November 20 to highlight their grievances.
Athouba also urged every locality, club and Meira Paibi group to take part in a coordinated public demonstration on November 21.
The IDPs in valley have been opposing the state government plan to organise the Sangai festival this year stating that the situation in the state is not conducive to hold the festival.
The IDPs had also urged the state government to prioritise reopening of national highways in the state and to organised resettlement of the IDPs.
The IDPs and valley based civil voluntary organisations are of the opinion that organissing the festival amidst the prevailing situation of the State tangamounts to turning a blind eye to the hardships and problems of the IDPs
The Hills Journal
K. Salbung, Churachandpur
Manipur-795128
