By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 18: Despite repeated promises from the state government to relocate registered hawkers from the Police Bazar area, the number of street vendors continues to rise in the areas of both Police Bazar and Motphran.
On any given day, footpaths from Motphran to GS Road are crowded with hawkers, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road, creating a chaotic and unsafe situation.
A local shopkeeper confirmed that the number of hawkers has multiplied in recent months, with no intervention from authorities to regulate or prevent the influx of new vendors.
The shopkeeper said that nobody seemed to care about the new hawkers setting up stalls.
Hawkers have not only spread throughout Motphran, but some have even started operating near prominent locations such as the Vivanta Hotel and the High Court of Meghalaya in the evening.
It may be mentioned that Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh, since assuming office in 2023, has repeatedly spoken about turning Police Bazar into a no-hawker zone. However, despite issuing multiple deadlines, no concrete action has been taken to realise this goal.
Residents of Shillong have expressed concern over the situation, maintaining that while hawkers have the right to earn a livelihood, pedestrians also have the right to walk safely on pavements.
It is also said that the authorities, particularly the Shillong Municipal Board, have been criticized for not acting promptly to stop new vendors from establishing themselves.
It is often only after months or years that attempts are made to remove hawkers, leading to protests from the vendors.
While the government aims to relocate around 200 registered hawkers from the Police Bazar area, the future of numerous unregistered hawkers operating across the city remains in limbo.