I Meren Longkumer
On Closure of Markets & Shops on Sundays
Closure of shops on Sundays on the orders of the Chairman, Dimapur Municipal Councilor may have been made to observe Sabbath and on the pressure of some sections of the people as claimed by the Chairman. That may be so, but certain clarifications regarding powers and functions of the Municipal Council ought to be made to remove confusions in the minds of the general public.
One would definitely understand that the Municipal Council’s principal function is to strive towards bringing improved civic amenities like roads, water supply, drainage, sewage and sanitation, including proper marketing sheds and their up-keep in the towns under their jurisdiction. But definitely closing shops on Sundays appears to have been made as an exercise which may be a little beyond the competence of the Council and at worst authoritarian.
I say this because we do presume we have a District Administration which has been silent on this issue. Secondly, a commercial centre like Dimapur definitely has a functional Chamber of Commerce which too has been silent. Thirdly, another Union or Association of Business Owners of Dimapur did make some noise on certain issue last year, but this too has been silent. Then again the Naga Students’ Union of Dimapur has raised its head on several occasions on several issues, not forgetting the various factions which have done similar things. Do the public have a say?
All that I am asking is who runs the town? Whoever runs the town should understand that people should be left to choose between shopping and not shopping on a Sunday. As it is, many shops do not open on a Sunday, which is well and good. Likewise, people wanting or rather needing to shop on Sundays should be left to do so on their own choice and conviction. If the closure of markets and shops on a Sunday was made for religious considerations, then it becomes a bad decision considering the fact that we live in a so called civil and secular society.
Further, Dimapur being the hub of all commercial activity, thousands of people from other parts of the state do make a beeline to the town for procuring various requirements. A day’s loss could convert to huge losses for them.
In such cases, wisdom and patience need to be applied both by the Councilors as well as the general public without seemingly appearing forceful in our approach to things Civic.
