SHILLONG, Dec 31: The hawkers occupying considerable public space in Police Bazar are not only an eyesore but are also becoming a menace. Some tourists who were excited about second-hand clothes being sold cheaply said most of the hawkers are rude and lack manners.
“Many hawkers are arrogant and do not know how to talk with people,” a tourist said, adding that the Meghalaya government should undertake some measures to rescue Police Bazar, the heart of Shillong, from being turned into a second-hand market.
Apart from leaving little or no space for pedestrians to walk on the footpaths, many hawkers have been observed to scream while trying to sell their wares.
Some visitors who tried to capture life in Police Bazar on their mobile phones said some hawkers tend to get rude when they happen to record their faces while focussing on the ambience.
“I was shooting the market scene when a hawker selling oranges got angry and shouted at me although I was recording the normal activities there,” a tourist said.
He said the government should organise sensitisation programmes for the shopkeepers and hawkers as the Police Bazar is frequented by tourists who tend to take stills or videos. “Tourists spread positive or negative images of Shillong depending upon how the traders deal with them,” he added.
Locals said there have been several cases of hawkers misbehaving with tourists over the years.
A citizen recalled an incident where a kwai (betel nut) hawker, holding a knife in his hand, yelled at a tourist from southern India who wanted to inquire about the kwai.
