Sangai Fest to have fewer stalls; IMC meanwhile fumes

IMPHAL, October 28: Hectic construction work has begun at Hapta Kangjeibung, the main venue of the Manipur Sangai festival 2014, due to be held from November 21 till 30.

The Manipur Industrial Development Corporation (MANIDCO), has started construction of stalls which is one of the main components of the festival.

Unlike in the previous editions, this year will witness a sharp declined in the number of stalls.

Only 500 stalls will be arranged by the concerned departments of which 180 stall is being categorised as premium, 170 as ordinary and 150 as food stalls.

Over 200 stalls each were allocated for both premium and ordinary categories in the earlier editions.

Speaking to IFP, an official of the MANIDCO revealed that the delay in completion of Sanjenthong Bridge is one of the factors for the decline in the number of stalls.

The closure of Sanjenthong has increased the menace of traffic congestion hindering the movement of officials who are organising the event, the official said.

Moreover, the reduction of stalls will ease the volume of congestion inside the main venue, justified the MANIDCO official further.

Each stall will be 12 feet wide and 16 feet long and will be completed five days before the grand event.

On the other hand, the Imphal Municipal Council (IMC) has disclosed that it would abstain from extending co-operation during the 10-day long event, if the festival organisers fail to acknowledge IMC as co-organisers.

Since the beginning of the festival, IMC has been responsible for sanitation for the entire event ranging from providing dumping ground for garbage and sanitary, creating a conducive atmosphere, said an active functionary of IMC under the condition of anonymity.

As per an estimate prepared by IMC, the total charge for their service is around Rs. 7 lakhs including hiring charge of machineries. However, with the organisers have been maintaining silence till date, the IMC is of the view that the sanitation services is likely to be handed over to a private firm, the official said.