SHILLONG: The entire stretch from Motphran to Police Bazar has turned into a hawker zone with no concrete solution to the perennial problem.
Right from Motphran point, hawkers can be seen sitting along the roadside risking their lives while vehicles ply inches away from them.
It was also seen that the hawkers’ presence in the area is affecting the free movement of pedestrians.
Motphran point is also facing perennial congestion with hawkers using temporary parking lot for two wheelers and four wheelers. Temporary sheds are also put up by hawkers next to the road.
Coming down from Motphran to GS road, one can see the sale of all kinds of stuff, including street food just next to the road.
The heart of the town, Police Bazar is even more congested as both sides of the road are occupied by the hawkers while there is only a narrow space for pedestrians to walk.
Some hawkers who were asked by the Urban Affairs Minister, Hamlet Dohling last time to push behind in fact now have carried their shops forward and there is a very limited space to walk.
Earlier, even many persons with disability too had asserted that footpaths were meant for pedestrians and not for marketing, adding everyone has the right to walk.
In the past, several programmes were held to deliberate on the matter.
The discussions on the need to solve the issue of hawkers have not yielded any solution.
