Imphal, Oct. 2: Nightlife in Imphal got a boost today with the launch of a night plaza along the Kangla moat, providing opportunities for boating and holding music concerts along with 110 stalls, including those serving indigenous cuisine every weekend.
Chief minister N. Biren Singh launched the night plaza amidst large crowds at Khoyathong this evening. He interacted with many of the mobile stall owners that were opened along the Kangla road stretching from Khoyathong to the Raj Bhavan gate.
The aim of introducing the night plaza is to promote nightlife in the state to attract investors and tourists. The government wishes to depict the state as peaceful and free from militant violence, as any other city with a buzzing nightlife. It claimed that law and order in the state has improved considerably.
The new plaza will stay open every weekend from 7pm till 10pm.
The government plans to keep the plaza open everyday during the 10-day Sangai Festival, organised from November 21 every year.
Out of the 110 stalls opened, 80 are food stalls.
City life usually shut down between 5pm and 6pm since the early nineties when militancy was at its peak.
MAHUD (Municipal administration, housing and urban development) and forest and environment minister Th. Shyamkumar Singh earlier said the idea behind the night plaza is to provide a good recreational space to people which will help improve healthy family life in the city.
"This is mind-blowing. This is exactly what we required and should have been done much earlier. I am very excited today," local youth Aribam David Sharma, who was at the launch, said.
Various state government departments have been engaged in a committee for successful implementation of the night plaza.
MAHUD department will take care of the overall coordination and implementation of the project, arrangement and allotment of stalls in the space earmarked by the town planning department and recreational activities, entertainment programmes and live concerts.
The town planning department will be in charge of prescribing terms and conditions of the stalls, parking, boating, recreational activities. Manipur State Power Distribution Corporation Limited will take care of the decorative illumination at the venue.
State police department is responsible for the security of public and deployment of NCC cadets and scouts for coordination and guidance.
Provisions for drinking water, toilet and waste management will be looked after by the Imphal Municipal Council. The Planning Development Authority will be in charge of street furniture and Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association along with the department of youth affairs and sports will take care of boating and supply life jackets.
"I am disappointed. I deal with beef and pork and I don't know why my application to open a stall was rejected," said a city meat seller who is popularly known as the "King of Beef". He said there was no transparency in the selection of stall owners.
There was a huge traffic snarl along the alternative roads as the main city road was blocked because of the event.
