Deadline for relocation ended on Sunday
SHILLONG, Nov 24: Yet another deadline has been missed in Meghalaya by the MDA Government. Earlier this month, the state government had issued a deadline of November 24 to relocate some 200 hawkers from Khyndai Lad to three locations – MUDA parking lot opposite the SBI Main Branch, the MUDA Shopping Complex, and the MTC building.
The deadline ended on Sunday with hawkers camping through the night on Saturday-Sunday keeping their business open till the early morning hours in protest. Neither the government nor Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh, who had come out with deadlines after deadlines since June, have any answers on when the hawkers would be relocated.
The minister had taken the lead in promising to turn Police Bazar into a hawker-free pedestrian zone, but he is now playing on the back foot.
Lyngdoh on Saturday passed the buck on to the Urban Affairs Department to relocate the hawkers.
The same day, hawkers kept their shops open and even camped in Khyndai Lad to register their protest.
There seems to be a total lack of communication between the hawkers and the government on the relocation issue.
A meeting of the Town Vending Committee (TVC) was held on October 18 and two members each from the Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association as well as the Shillong Road side Hawkers Association attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the Urban Affairs Department revealed the plan for relocation of hawkers from the Police Bazar stretch by November-end.
On November 11, some hawkers said a decision was taken to shift them from Khyndai Lad to some other place by November 24.
While most 200-plus registered hawkers are willing to relocate, some who have set up multiple roadside facilities are against the idea.
Even the Police Bazar Welfare Society (PBWS), representing residents and businesses, has raised concerns over the impact of a pedestrian-only zone on residents and local commerce.
The PBWS commended the government’s move to manage congestion and create safer spaces by relocating the hawkers. However, they stressed that a complete pedestrianisation of Police Bazar would disrupt essential access for residents, who have lived and operated businesses in the area for over a century.
The group noted that Police Bazar and Thana Road were motorable even before and during British rule, facilitating both residential and commercial needs.
It highlighted the challenges residents would face, particularly elderly citizens, children, and individuals with health issues if vehicles were barred from the area. They emphasised that access restrictions would cause hardship for families and school-going children during inclement weather.
It further pointed out that restricting vehicle access would impact residents’ constitutional rights to reach their homes.
Incidentally, while the stalemate continues, the hawkers managed to do brisk business on Sunday.