SHILLONG: The Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors association staged a protest on the premises of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) on Monday demanding the implementation of Central Street Vending Act 2014 by the state government.
Almost hundred vendors from the association marched towards the KHADC and a delegation later met the KHADC CEM Teinwell Dkhar.
The association submitted a memorandum indicating the rejection of the KHADC registration and form disbursal process for tribal hawkers and highlighted in detail about the central Act and the need to sensitise the KHADC about the Act and demanded its immediate implementation by the state government.
In a statement issued here, the association pointed out that the KHADC is in breach of not only the law but also the status quo order of the court in 2016.
According to the association’s observation, the implementation of the Act will ensure proper in situ survey, constitution of a Town Vending Committee (TVC) comprising not less than 40 per cent members from the street vendors and following the constitution of the TVC, which will be the lawful authority overseeing hawking related matters, other things such as licensing, demarcating of vending and non vending zones and others can be carried out.
On the other hand, the hawkers rejected the registration forms of the KHADC asserting that it was unsystematic and the KHADC randomly issued forms and have in the past few days brought new people to occupy spaces leading to utter confusion and lawlessness.
The association questioned the intention of the KHADC arguing that the Council is not interested in solving the hawking and congestion issue but to cause more confusion and also communalise matters.
“The association stresses on the need to implement the central Act and following that only trading license regulations and other regulations can follow, but these need to be in a transparent, accountable, fair and time bound manner”, the statement said.
KHADC CEM Teinwell Dkhar told reporters that the hawkers apprised him of the unsystematic distribution of forms by the Enforcement Wing of the KHADC.
“They were confused as the manner of issuing of the forms was not systematic and that there was no prior intimation also. As for this matter, we will sit and discuss with the departments of Labour, Market, Trade”, he said.
When asked, he said the forms were distributed to tribal hawkers while the non-tribal hawkers have to apply for trading license.
Dkhar said that there were complaints from time to time about congestion and the form that the KHADC is issuing is to recognise the hawkers.
