Tura: Last year, when Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma visited the Tura Super Market, he promised that the market would undergo extensive maintenance work. Now, whether he was making such promises in light of the (then) upcoming elections or not, one cannot confirm.
But one can confirm that the iconic market is in a state of disarray and the lower section of Tura Super Market located next to vegetable vendors reeks of waste and garbage.
Social activist Jaynie N Sangma, who visited the market to document the squalor, said recent repairs were done hastily and are already leaking.
Shop owners complained about sewage seeping into some areas, saying the market now resembles a dumpster. They said the Tura Municipal Board (TMB) should have taken up the issue, but their complaints have been neglected and the situation remains unchanged.
“TMB officials pay regular visits to the market daily, and they understand the situation,” said Jaynie Sangma.
She further advised that the market situation should be viewed as an emergency and repair work needs to be done as soon as possible. “The authorities need to ensure that the shop owners of the market are allowed to do business in the best environment possible,” she added.
When contacted, the CEO of TMB, Rikse Marak, blamed the contractor responsible for repair work.
“TMB is limited in our capacity but we are doing our best. Repairs are being undertaken as of now. The contractor did not repair the drain pipes well. Otherwise, repairs were done,” informed the CEO.
She added that the drainage system is blocked by people dumping garbage near the road and drains were one of the major reasons for flooding. The Public Works Department too was exasperated by this. Water can be seen seeping into the nearby PWD road from the leaking pipes from the Super Market, something that both departments are trying to work on.
Taking to social media, Trinamool Congress’ youth leader Richard Marak questioned Conrad Sangma’s promise to make the market at par with a world-class facility, in line with other structures in Tura that were his father PA Sangma’s brainchild.
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“What happened to the CM’s promise? Based on his tweet, it seems that the promise made last year in September of a facelift to all iconic infrastructures initiated by Late P A Sangma to commemorate his 75th birth anniversary and to honour his contributions to the state, are yet to be completed. It was supposed to be finished before Christmas last year but look at the situation now,” stated Richard.
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