SHILLONG: The ever burgeoning hawkers’ community here seems to be caught in a bind fighting a grim battle on two fronts — their penury and the pandemic-embattled government’s inability to permit them to be on the streets again.
While hawkers are running from pillar to post to see an early end to their misery, an early solution to their problem seems a far cry at the moment.
Following their quest to restart their hawking activity for eking out a livelihood, the Hawkers’ Association on Thursday submitted another memorandum to the Chief Secretary pleading with him to expedite the process of resumption of hawking and vending activity.
However, the government seemed to be in no mood to allow resumption of hawking activity in the city right now.
Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong on Thursday said that the government could gauze the difficulties of the hawkers but allowing them to resume business as usual would lead to congestion in the city which would compromise on the on-going battle against COVID.
He said that the government had allowed shops to open partially on rotational basis simply because the government wanted to reduce crowding in public places.
Pointing out that the Chief Secretary along with the Shillong Municipal Board were working to identify a temporary place for the hawkers where they can carry out their small business, Tynsong said that it is of utmost importance for the government to contain the pandemic even as he added that certain localities have also expressed their strong opposition to allow hawkers to sit on the road right now as the country is facing abnormal situation.
Prior to outbreak of COVID pandemic, the streets in most urban areas of the State were sights of chaos as hordes of hawkers would occupy public thoroughfares selling all kinds of perishable goods and sundry utility items.
While, it worked well for the vendors and budget consumers, it brought in its wake, huge inconvenience to the pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
In Shillong, the road-sides in commercially busy areas like GS Road, Motphran, Police Bazar, Laitumkhrah, Jail Road, Polo area, Laban would be packed with hawkers in pursuit of making a living.
Admittedly, the ever growing number of hawkers on the streets was also a pointer to the fact the un-diminishing level of poverty and lack of income source for those who find themselves at the wrong end of economic ladder.
Earlier, TUR member, Angela Rangad, who submitted a memorandum to the Chief Secretary, was sore that the government was paying no heed to the plight of the hawkers while recalling their meeting with Tynsong, he had assured to the hawkers community that something would be worked out within a week.
Claiming that the financial help of Rs 700 provided by the government had reached only five hawkers, she made it clear that if such negligence persisted, they would be forced to “adopt other means”.