SHILLONG: Hawkers operating their business on the Motphran overbridge have agreed to relocate their business to the Urban Affairs Parking Lot at Khlieh Iewduh near Cantonment area.
The mutual understanding was reached when a delegation of the hawkers met Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh in the presence of local legislator and Home Minister Roshan Warjri on Wednesday.
Lyngdoh informed that altogether 67 hawkers who were running stalls on the overbridge would be relocated to the new space, adding that the relocation would be completed in a weeks’ time.
Though initially refusing to vacate the overbridge, the hawkers finally relented after the District Disaster Management Authority declared the Motphran overbridge as unsafe and the district administration imposed Section 144 CrPC closing the ages-old overbridge for both pedestrians and hawkers.
It may be mentioned that some shops which were running beneath the overbridge have been given one month’s time to vacate.
Lyngdoh informed that the shopkeepers had been given permission to operate their shops beneath the overbridge with the condition that they would vacate the place whenever the Government requires the place.
Now since everything has fallen in line, the Government is confident that it can finally undertake the long-pending Motphran Junction improvement work to ease the over-congestion that is growing with each passing day.