SHILLONG: With the violation of the status quo order of the High Court by vendors continuing by way of encroachment on footpaths, nodal officer T. Lyngwa, appointed by the government to conduct spot study on the cleanliness of the city, will submit his report to the Chief Secretary.
An official source said that the report will then be filed as an affidavit before the High Court of Meghalaya during the next hearing on February 10.
The disappearance and sudden appearance of street vendors near Civil Hospital junction in the city and other places is viewed by many as an unusual phenomenon. Those who are witnessing the trend for the last many days are of the opinion that it is an attempt by these vendors to ignore the civic authorities.
Since the last week of January, pedestrians have been compelled to take the highways whenever these vendors block the footpath.
While the stand of the vendors indicates violation of the recent High Court order, many vendors feel that they are at the receiving end as the authorities are yet to provide them a space for business.
The Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) and Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) are now exploring all means to see how the issues arising out of the High Court order can be addressed.
The pedestrians, however, are annoyed at the lack of active steps on the part of SMB and MUDA to penalise the violators.
Earlier in December, the street vendors and hawkers of Shillong also protested outside the office of the SMB to highlight their plight. The hawkers and street vendors have been demanding the implementation of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.
