Non-tribal vendors have to obtain trading license
SHILLONG: Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Chief Executive Member Teinwell Dkhar has stated that the Council will not spare any hawker obstructing the footpaths whether tribal or non-tribal.
“We will not allow any hawker who causes inconvenience to the general public. The footpath is meant for the pedestrians and not for hawkers. We will take action against any hawker obstructing the footpath,” Dkhar said.
He stated that the public notice issued by the Council was meant to ensure no inconvenience is caused to the general public. He said that the Council has also decided to prohibit non-tribal hawkers without valid trading license from carrying out their business on footpaths, public roads and street corners from October 14 in the city.
It may be mentioned that in a public notice issued recently, the secretary to the KHADC executive committee said the United Khasi Jaintia Hills District (Trading by Non tribals) Regulation, 1954 as amended and the rules framed thereunder prohibit non-tribals from carrying out any trade or business without a valid license issued by the Council.
The KHADC secretary said it has come to the notice of the executive committee that many non-tribals are in the business of hawking in areas within the jurisdiction of the Council especially in parts of Shillong City.
He said the hawking that is being carried out is illegal, unhygienic and causes inconvenience to the general public.
On the other hand, KHADC EM in-charge, Trade, Paul Lyngdoh said that street vending is defined as a trade under the Trading by Non-tribals Regulation, 1954 and rules made thereunder in 1959.
Hence non-tribal street vendors in the ADCs are required to obtain licenses as per law. As for street vending by either tribals or non-tribals on public footpaths, bylanes, roads, street corners etc, the state government is sufficiently empowered by the Eviction from Public Premises Act, 1980 to deal with the menace.
“The move is in the interest of genuine tax-paying and rent-paying non-tribal traders who are disadvantaged by the large number of hawkers paying no fees to the Council, no rent, no taxes and occupy all the streets and lanes and footpaths,” he said.
When asked about the prohibition only on the non-tribal hawkers, he said that the issue is simply of hawkers applying for hawkers’ license to the Council as specified by the Trading by Non-tribals Regulation of 1954 and the tribal vendors will come under the Public Premises (Eviction from) Act, 1980.
On the matter of hawkers pending before the High Court, he said, “What is pending before the court is their right to livelihood in the absence of a hawkers zone but nothing to do with the mandatory license they must have from the Council.”