SHILLONG: Hawkers and vendors, led by the Thma-U-Rangli-Juki (TUR), organised a candlelight protest in Police Bazar on Monday against the recent eviction order of the High Court.
On the State Government’s eviction drive, Angela Rangad, a member of TUR, claimed that 68 per cent were women vendors and the reckless act of the authorities “amounts to violence against women”.
Informing that the State Government has assured them to constitute a task force, of which nothing has been done till date, Rangad said, “This is sheer dereliction of duty on the part of the legislators. They are not interested in sorting the issue.”
In connection with the observation of fortnight against violence on the theme ‘claim back the night’, Rangad said, “These women vendors are there even at night and provided residents a sense of security and even helped tourists.”
According to her, the eviction is illegal as there was no law or proper town vending committee. Also, neither the vendors were allowed to voice their grievances nor was any survey conducted before the eviction. Lashing out at the eviction drive conducted by the State Government, Rangad said there was ‘utter lawlessness’ as the under-privileged class is affected.
Pointing to the heavy traffic congestion, Rangad expressed dismay whether the town is overrun by cars asserting that there are many free spaces that are occupied by vehicles. She refuted the perception that the town is overrun by hawkers.
“We want the State Government to implement the Street Vendors’ (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, as the central law has better provisions in terms of protection of women and other hawkers,” the TUR member said and added that the “state law is illegal as the central law preceded it”.
