IMPHAL: Ninety-five food stalls in the Manipur tourism festival ‘Sangai Festival 2011’ were on Tuesday voluntarily closed down since the organizer, the Department of Tourism is likely to decline their request to extend two more days to recoup money they have invested in hope of profits as the festival ends on Wednesday.
“They have not been able to sell or make profits during the last four days due to bandh”, one of the stall owners, who did not want to identify himself informed Newmai News Network on Tuesday. Anticipating the possibility of a loss, the stall owner said each food booth in the festival paid up to fifteen thousand rupees to the organizer as deposits and if the fete is not extended at least for two more days they are in the position to lose huge amount of money they have invested. Hec said they will not be even recoup the deposit amount.
Apart from the deposit money, they have to spend extra money to run their temporary business on water and toilet and many other charges everyday, another stall owner said.
He added, “We will not be able to recover even the deposited money owing to frequent strikes during the festival, forget about the profit.”
The 95 stall owners in the festival, which has been going on for the last nine days at Hatta Kangjeibung here, have also submitted a joint application to the concerned authority pleading for the extension of the festival for some more days, they informed.
However, further extension of the festival is not likely because the festival has been officially time-tabled for just ten days which ends on November 30. Many of the visitors in the fete complained that the 2011 edition of the Sangai Festival resembles a trade fair, saying the organizer is charging Rs 10 as entry fee which they said should not be taken from the visitors.
The Manipur Sangai Festival is celebrated every year from November 21-November 30 and it is spearheaded by the Tourism Department, Government of Manipur. (NNN)