Hawkers stage unique protest in city

SHILLONG: In a unique protest, many hawkers in Civil Hospital, IGP and nearby areas on Thursday voiced opposition against their eviction by assuming their respective places of business with placards mentioning their names, businesses and the duration of their business.
Among the protestors were two sisters– Bitrish and Nistina Buhphang-who have spent almost 50 years of their lives selling cigarettes and kwai in the footpaths outside the Shillong Civil Hospital. Speaking to reporters, the sisters said that their business on the footpath was not affecting the movement of the passers-by. Both the sisters recalled that they have spent their entire life selling goods on the footpath along with their mother.
“As children, after returning from school, we used to sit here (the Civil Hospital footpath) helping our mother and we continued doing our business on this same footpath even when we grew old,” they said.
The sisters also recalled that the Shillong Municipal Board was collecting tax from them but in the year 1994, the Board stopped doing the same and informed that they cannot sit on the footpath anymore.
“This eviction has affected the livelihood of hundreds of old people like us,” they said.
On the other hand, another hawker identified as Ribalin Pariat, who used to set up a small shop outside the Civil Hospital said that they are doing their business on the footpath only for their survival.
“We are old people and cannot run from police every day,” she said and added that with this eviction, it has become difficult for her to take care of her children.
Meanwhile, Ronny Lyndem, coordinator of Thma u Rangli (TUR), who has been spearheading the cause of hawkers, said, “The government is talking about relocation of hawkers but without a survey how can the government identify genuine hawkers and Shillong’s capacity to absorb them.”
He said that the hawkers want the State to implement the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 of the Central government. “If the Act would have been implemented, there would not have been so much of drama,” he said.
The hawkers would hold similar protests in the city on Friday and Saturday.