Groups demand release of seized goods, compensation and withdrawal of ‘false FIRs’
SHILLONG: The Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors’ Association (M&GSPHSVA) and Thma U Rangli Juki (TUR) have decided to reject the notification by the town vending committee for issuing forms to hawkers in municipal and non-municipal areas in the city. They also want reconstitution of the committee.
The decision was taken in a meeting held on Monday. The hawkers’ body and TUR have also decided to discard the “illegal and useless action” of the State government and continue their demand for a constitutionally tenable central act for street vendors.
“The reasons for this rejection is that the town vending committee as mentioned in the notification has been illegally constituted as it does not follow the norms specified in the ‘Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. The act clearly specifies that the TVC should have 40 percent hawkers’ representation out of which at least one third should be women. This TVC does not have any hawker representation. So any act done by it is unconstitutional,” TUR said.
The NGO also said no form for licence can be issued without a survey of hawkers in their respective places of work. “The notification did not even give a timeframe within which the licences will be issued,” it said.
The organisation has now decided to boycott the alleged illegal issuance of forms from December 14 and insist on the implementation of the constitutionally tenable ‘Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. It is also demanding reconstitution of the TVC with 40 percent hawkers’ representation.
M&GSPHSVA wants the eviction to be stopped immediately and a survey of hawkers and markets so as to identify vending zones and ensure that natural and heritage markets are not declared no-vending zones.
The group is also demanding immediate return of all seized goods, compensation for goods destroyed and lost and withdrawal of “false FIRs” filed against hawkers.