Traders to knock on Court’s door over delay of supermarket in Jowai

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJanuary 2, 2020

JOWAI: The Jaintia Tribal Traders’ Association (JTTA) has threatened to seek the Meghalaya High Court’s intervention into the delay to complete the construction of the supermarket at Iawmusiang, Jowai, the district headquarter of West Jaintia Hills.

Iawmusiang is one of the biggest and the oldest traditional markets in the region and had been in existence since the days of the ancient Jaintia Kingdom.

The proposal for re-development of the market was accorded administrative approval on July 2006.

A total of Rs 20.09 crore was sanctioned by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), of which the first instalment amounting to Rs 6.33 crores was released on February 10, 2009.

The Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) had decided to dismantle the old market in 2011 to pave way for the construction of the supermarket.

However even after a lapse of 9 years, the supermarket is yet to see the light of day thereby affecting the livelihood activities of over 1,000 of traders.

Speaking to syllad.com on Thursday, president of the JTTA Iatha Najiar said the association may consider approaching the Meghalaya High Court for its intervention into the matter.

“However, the final decision on this will only be taken after the meeting of the association which will be held within in this month,” he said.

Najiar said the delay in completing the supermarket has to a great extent dislocated the economic activities of the people of the district.

The president of the association said the old market was temporarily shifted to Ladthadlaboh locality on January 5, 2011.

Prior to this, traders had filed a petition seeking a stay on shifting the old market, which however was not granted by the High Court in its order passed on this regard, he said.

He said the JHADC had also assured that the project would be completed within three years.

He said the association had from time to time demanded the JHADC to speed up the completion of the market. According to him, the work has been completely stopped for two to three years now. “We have been kept in the dark as to what may be the reason for this delay as when we approach the JHADC authority, the response was that the project has been handed over to the PWD,” Najiar said.

“We have also sought the intervention of the then Union DoNER minister with the help of Shillong MP Vincent H Pala  when the Congress was in power both at the Centre and the state but to no avail. The MP that time had also ask us whether we want the project to be completed at the earliest or not to which we replied as per the aspiration of the people,” he said.

Najiar also informed that the chief minister Conrad K Sangma had also inspected the under constructed building of the market.

Asked, the leader of the traders also slammed the members of the district council for their failure to ensure completion of the market. “The delay in completing this market has only become an election issue for candidates to win election, which is quite unfortunate,” he said as  he admitted that the issue is a fit case for filing a public interest litigation before the court. Earlier, the JHADC in its memorandum to the then union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju had requested the Centre to release the second installment for completion of the project.

In May 29, 2012, the then Union Minister of State in-charge DoNER Paban Singh Ghatowal had also visited the market.

The technical personnel of the ministry had also visited the market site and saw that the first phase of the market building was duly constructed with the first installment released by the ministry.