By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Two lanes in Jail Road – SC Das Lane (SCDL) and PC Deb Lane (PCDL) – can be said to have turned ‘shady’ in recent times. While the first has become a safe haven after sunset for substance abusers, wayfarers, alcoholics, drug users and womanizers thanks to the temporary structures erected by the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) in connivance with the Urban Affairs Department in a hush-hush manner, the PC Deb Lane is been taken over by roadside vegetable vendors, fast food sellers and hawkers.
The PC Deb Lane, a residential lane, is occupied by these vendors every afternoon. The occupancy of half of the lane by these vendors narrows its appearance giving it a look similar to the streets of Iewduh. Residents and pedestrians who use this lane, which provides a shortcut from Khyndailad and its suburbs to Greater Polo, say that there is not much difference between PC Deb Lane and SC Das Lane in terms of “illegal and antisocial occupancy”.
People are facing numerous problems due to the presence of these vendors in these lanes.
An elderly resident said that their (vendors) appearance is new here and it looks like the vendors are allowed to operate freely anywhere and everywhere in the city.
While calling for a complete ban on purchasing any items from these vendors, which is the only way to discourage them from operating here, a lawyer from this area said that with no demarcation by the civic authorities, roadside vendors have become a menace to the city’s residents.
It is learnt that these vendors dump their waste into the lane dirtying the area. The presence of fish and vegetable vendors emitting wastes behind Hotel Polo Towers adds to the mess in the PC Deb Lane.
The apathetic role of the civic authorities is also to be blamed for this nuisance. Almost every lane and roadside corner in the city is occupied by vendors who not only eat up on the space meant for pedestrians but also cause huge difficulties for movement of vehicular traffic.
The situation in PC Deb Lane during evening hours is beyond imagination and the SMB which is brazenly allowing such nuisance to continue in the heart of the city is being blamed for the mess.
That the civic authorities are allowing such illegal vendor business to flourish within the municipal jurisdiction without taking any action against them is earning serious criticism.
The presence of these vendors selling their products near OB Shopping Mall, Vishal Mega Mart and PC Deb Lane with spotted presence in Khyndailad is also getting a free hand because the authorities seldom take any action against them, residents complained.