6th Pay no respite for Dingku Road vegetable sellers
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 06 2008: With the price of essential commodities sky-rocketing, it has been a hard time for many laymen who are living from hand to mouth existence and the announcement of the 6th Central Pay Commission has nothing to lift up their spirit.

This is all the more so for the vegetable sellers who are dotting along the stretch of Dingku Road.

Coming from various far flung and remote villages of the State, these women have been biting the dust since early morning till late in the evening in the dimly lit candle light to earn atleast some money from selling the vegetables, fruits, dry fishes, meats, etc brought from home just to keep the Kitchen fire burning and meet the educational need of their children.

A woman who ekes out a living by selling vegetables at Dingku Road

Absence of proper places to display their wares is further compounding to their problem of existence.

But they struggle on day after day regardless of the health hazard posed from vehicular emission and unhygienic surrounding.

39-year old SR Wonmi of Kamjong Block under Ukhrul district, who has been in this profession for one year said that she has five children, two girls and three boys to look after, all of them studying in private schools in Imphal.

Wonmi said that she is the sole bread earner of the family as her husband is unemployed.

She said that on an average, she could earn Rs 80 to Rs 100 as profit every day from the selling the vegetables and other seasonal fruits she could collect.

But the meagre income has not been able to meet the demands of the family with prices of essential commodities escalating at an alarming rate.

Echoing the same sentiment, a Kabui woman who came from Tamenglong and has been ion this trade for the last 6/7 years, said that the vegetables and fruits being sold are purchased from middlemen and brought from the hills with great difficulty.

Although she could sell Rs 1000 to Rs 1200 per day getting a profit of around Rs 90 to Rs 100, the woman said there are days when all the goods could not be sold and subsequently leads spoiling due to lack of proper infrastructure for storage.

In such a situation, it has been very hard for her to look after the family.