Manipur’s iconic all-women market set to reopen soon

Manipur’s iconic all-women market, which is popularly known as Nupi Keithel, is all set to reopen soon. The market situated in the heart of the state capital, after remaining closed for around five months, is now all set to resume operations. As per the officials in the know-how, the opening of the market will be subject to the preparation of schedule for vendors.

State Chief Secretary Dr Rajesh Kumar, who is the chairman of the state executive committee of the state disaster management authority, issued a revised order in this regard recently. As per the revised order, Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMC) will segregate vendors into groups, and stall numbers will be allocated to each vendor. The IMC stated that it will make all efforts to make the vendors follow the set arrangement to ensure the social distancing is maintained appropriately.
The IMC further added that each vendor will be given an opportunity to sell her goods on a rotational basis, i.e., around twice a week. The market will remain closed on Sundays for sanitation and cleaning purposes, stated the IMC.

Earlier, the Manipur government announced the immediate closure of the Nupi Keithel on April 21, barely two months after its reopening, because of the alarming COVID-19 situation in the state.
Reportedly, more than 3500 license holding women vendors sit at three Nupi Keithel market buildings in Imphal, and this is the most unique feature of Asia’s one of the largest women-run markets.