Manipur's iconic women-run market reopens after nearly 11 months

The Manipur government announced the closure of Nupi Keithel on March 21, 2020 amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

After closing down for almost 11 months, Nupi Keithel, one of Asia’s largest women-run markets, located in Manipur’s state capital, was formally re-opened to resume its normal business on Monday.

CM Singh announced that women vendors of Nupi Keithels would be exempted from a vendor license fee for the year. (HT Photo)

Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh-led cabinet ministers and MLAs were present during the formal re-opening function of the market in Imphal.

The Manipur government announced the closure of Nupi Keithel, which has three different iconic market buildings, on March 21, 2020, as a preventive measure amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Singh announced that women vendors of Nupi Keithels would be exempted from a vendor license fee for the year. “The government took the decision considering the hardship faced by the women vendors during the Covid-19 pandemic as the markets remained closed for nearly a year,” he added.

According to sources, more than 3,500 license holding women vendors sit at three Nupi Keithel market buildings in Imphal.

The chief minister said that the pandemic had made humans learn a lesson about the importance of preserving nature. He called for a change of mindset and move towards a clean environment to prevent mankind from other such outbreaks in future.

The CM also urged the officials of urban development authority to supply garbage bags to women vendors so that garbage and spoiled vegetables could be put to the same and collected for proper disposal. Such conduct would help maintain cleanliness in and around the market places and prevent the women vendors from certain diseases, he added.

Biren also asked the women vendors to allot a day in a month for the maintenance and cleaning work of the market areas.

Many women vendors at the Nupi Keithel also expressed their happiness over the reopening of the market. “With the re-opening of the market today, we prayed that we lead a better life with our respective families,” said Kh Mangi, a functionary of a women’s vendor body at Nupi Keithel.

Sharing a similar sentiment, another woman vendor Aribam Sunita, who sells locally-made blouses in the market, said, “We are so happy about the reopening of the market.”

During the market re-opening function, the CM also announced the new names of the three Nupi Keithel (women market) buildings as Leimarel Sidabi Ima Keithel for market number 1, Imoinu Ima Keithel for market number 2 and Phouoibi Ima Keithel for market number 3.

Last month, an independent researcher named Serto Tondana Kom in Imphal had even claimed that the shutting down of Nupi Keithel might have caused a minimum loss of ₹3,879 crore to vendors in the last 10 months.