Municipal CEO dissolves traders’ body citing political ‘interference’
TURA: The MLA of South Tura assembly constituency, John Leslee K Sangma, has filed a privilege motion with the State Assembly’s Privilege Committee against current Tura Municipal Board CEO Zenithsky J Sangma for allegedly blaming him for the current confrontation between the officer and the traders and the filing of a police complaint against the elected representative.
The CEO had issued an order, last week, dissolving the Tura Super Market Traders’ Association terming it as a politically motivated group and accused the MLA of patronizing the body to derive political mileage by being its president.
“The CEO needs to get his facts correct. I resigned as president of the association shortly after my election win in 2013 and disassociated myself from the traders’ body as per my letter to them in the same year. My protocol does not allow me to hold that position,” said MLA John Leslee Sangma.
The municipal officer, however, blames the elected member of rallying the traders of the super market through the association’s alleged self-styled secretary Abrilla B Marak to level allegations, complaints and agitation against the municipal board.
The officer alleged that traders of the super market did not give individual replies to the show cause notice given to them for keeping their shops closed during two days of the GNLA bandh on August 14 and 15, this year, and accused the sitting MLA of influence and instigation.
“The association is politically motivated and has been showing aggressive defiance and going all out against the TMB. Therefore it is dissolved with immediate effect,” stated Zenithsky J Sangma in his order.
Two FIRs have also reportedly been filed by the Municipal CEO against the South Tura MLA for alleged obstruction of its eviction drive against roadside vendors and hawkers prompting the elected member to move the House Privilege Committee against the bureaucrat.
“I have filed a privilege motion against the CEO with the House Committee and have sought the summoning of the said officer, the Deputy Commissioner, SP, officer-in-charge of Tura police station, two investigation officers of police and the head assistant of the municipal board for referring to me as the one man in the FIR who was obstructing the eviction of hawkers in Tura,” said John Leslee K Sangma.
According to the MLA, the problem began with the eviction drive of the hawkers initiated by the TMB in Tura.
“Since the board had started non-vending zones in the town that disallows hawkers from selling their wares I had asked that they be given an alternative place, after all they have the right to earn their livelihood legally. But there have been several instances in which the said officer has been deliberately targeting traders with both physical and verbal abuse and the most recent case took place inside the super market where a trader was roughed up and his goods thrown by the CEO,” alleged John Leslee Sangma.
He added that the matter has been taken up with Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh and the Assembly Speaker too.
“The minister has categorically stated that the department did not order any eviction drive in Tura and she has initiated a departmental inquiry into the happenings,” said John Leslee Sangma.
Hawkers up in Arms against Municipal Board: Dozens of hawkers from the Akhonggre-Police lines area on Wednesday raised a banner of revolt against the Tura Municipal Board alleging that its staff have been seizing their produce and forcibly taking it away without returning the goods and even imposing fines.
The hawkers have lodged a complaint alleging that their fresh produce, including fruits and poultry are being seized and loaded into municipal trucks to be taken to the dumping site. However, the goods were never found there as well.
“They come and seize our food items and do not spare even our day’s collection and other items meant to be taken home. They tell us it will be dumped at the garbage disposal area but when we go there we find nothing,” said local vendor Purnima Marak in her complaint.
“The TMB staff is taking it away for themselves and the authorities should immediately take action. We are being robbed,” lamented Konilla Marak and Niho Momin, both hawkers selling their produce on the streets of Tura.