SHILLONG: The National Hawkers Federation has thrown its weight behind the street vendors of Shillong who are demanding implementation of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.
Shaktiman Ghosh, General Secretary of the Federation, on Friday addressed the city hawkers who are at loggerheads with the district administration after their eviction from a few weeks ago.
Ghosh said different hawkers’ unions and federations from across the country will support the struggle of the vendors in Shillong and added that the matter would be taken to the Supreme Court if need be.
Ghosh said turnover of hawkers in the country on a single day is Rs 8,000 crores, much higher than even the big corporate houses. “Hawkers are not burden. In fact hawking is the most productive sector,” he said, adding that hawkers are the second largest community in the country after the farmers. Demanding that the State Government should implement the Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 as it addresses the all problems, Ghosh added that first of all the Town Vending Committee must be formed followed by registration of hawkers. “Then the hawking zone and the non-hawking zone should be demarcated and finally identity cards should be given to the hawkers,” he said.
He also said the number of tourists who visit Shillong usually tend to do their shopping from hawkers rather than going to big shops in the city.
