By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 7: The High Court of Meghalaya has directed the administration to identify, remove and prevent new encroachments of street space in Shillong by illegal street vendors and take legal steps against them.
Further, the court directed the administration to continue to penalise errant vehicle drivers with fine for disobedience to traffic rules and ensure that there is no reduction of available road space.
A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Indra Prasanna Mukerji and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh, issued the directives on Friday while hearing a PIL.
“…the scope of the public interest litigation (PIL) has continuously widened and now, it involves identifying street vending areas, relocating areas permitted to be used for street vending, regulation of traffic in general, allocating and relocating parking spaces, clearance of as much road area as possible to allow free movement of vehicles and overall implementing policies and plans to make the capital of Meghalaya-Shillong region a modern, clean and well administered city,” the court said in its order.
Referring to Additional Advocate General K Khan’s filing of a detailed report on February 28, 2025 which was prepared by the Commissioner and Secretary to Government of Meghalaya, Urban Affairs Department, the court said it appeared from the report that a survey of street vendors in Shillong was initiated.
Stating that the Provisional Town Vending Committee held three meetings on December 5, 2024 and February 5 and 14, 2025, the court said, “It has identified 25 locations for street vending across Shillong, to accommodate 1,400 vendors effective from 7th February, 2025. An official notification has been issued for relocation of a substantial number of vendors. The report says that this exercise was to streamline vendor operations and ensure a smooth transition to the new vending areas.”
Further, the court said a State Level Committee has been constituted to coordinate regulation of traffic and street movement in seven zones at Sadar Traffic Branch, Lumdiengjri Traffic Branch, Laitumkhrah Traffic Branch, Madanrting Traffic Branch, Rynjah Traffic Branch, Mawlai Traffic Branch and Laban Traffic Branch.
The court said the Committee is to recommend parking and “no parking zones”, adding that it is to collaborate with the local bodies and to get approved and demarcate “parking” and “no parking zones.”
The court said the administration has taken a very “healthy move” to formulate a parking policy called Shillong Parking Policy, 2025. The administration proposes to acquire and launch a fleet of 35 modern, technologically advanced and “comfortable buses” that would reduce the use of private transport on the city roads, the court said.
The court added that the administration has also initiated the Shared Mobility Initiative project by which the school-going children will be persuaded or their parents requested to allow students to commute in the buses acquired under the policy.
Drawing the court’s attention to a certain paragraph of the report, the Additional Advocate General said there was only one bus with 10 per cent occupancy in April 2023 but the same went up to 29 buses with 100 per cent occupancy in February 2025.
“Undoubtedly, the successful implementation of this policy will reduce the usual traffic congestion during the time of start of school hours and closing of the school for the day,” the court said.
Stating that another move which the administration has taken is to contemplate the introduction of street parking infrastructure, the court said, “We are confident if this entire set of policies, plans and projects is implemented, it would go a long way to achieve the purposes of this PIL.”
It was submitted by the counsel for the petitioner that only initial steps have been taken and that substantial steps are yet to be taken to implement the policies.
Considering the submissions made, the court directed that the respondents shall on a war-footing implement the policies, plans and proposals contained in the report.
“In the intervening period, the administration will keep a very strict vigilance in the city to identify, remove and prevent new encroachments of street space by illegal street vendors and take legal steps against them, shall continue to penalise errant vehicle drivers with fine for disobedience to traffic rules and for parking in no parking areas and to generally ensure that there is no reduction of available road space by encroachment made by street vendors, by illegal parking and so on,” the court directed.
The court ordered that by May 6, 2025, the Commissioner and Secretary to Government of Meghalaya, Urban Affairs Department will file another report showing further action which has been taken in this regard.