SHILLONG, Sep 12: Congress legislator from West Shillong constituency, Mohendro Rapsang on Sunday pitched for a facelift and decongestion of Iewduh through vertical expansion units.
He also sought assistance from the state government for giving the largest traditional market in the Northeast some breathing space.
Rapsang said the facelift for Iewduh has often been discussed but it is not possible for the Hima Mylliem to handle it on their own.
“Government has to step in for infrastructure development by seeking the Centre’s assistance for improving the traditional market in collaboration with the district council and Hima Mylliem,” he said.
“Since this is a very old traditional market and one of the largest, the government should help with the infrastructure for decongesting Iewduh,” Rapsang said, reminding that the pleas made to the government earlier had fallen on deaf ears.
“We have taken it up for discussion many a time but they do not have the resources or special plan for developing Iewduh,” he said.
Rapsang said the lateral expansion of Iewduh is not possible as there is no space and vertical expansion by including a few empty identified spaces is the only way.
“The hawkers can be shifted to the vertical units to decongest the market and make it cleaner and greener. But this will need a lot of resources,” he said.
Iewduh had come up decades ago after the heads of four tribal clans agreed to provide a “rice bowl” or area of economic activity for their people. The first attempt failed but the chiefs of Syiem persisted and selected the present area.
A religious ceremony started on the day of opening the market continues to be an annual event.
The increase in the city’s population and the narrow alleys filled with shops started stifling Iewduh over time.
