By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 21: The High Court of Meghalaya on Wednesday extended time till June 2, 2025 for two petitioners to bring to the court’s notice any lacuna in a report that was filed by the state government on street vending and related issues.
The public interest litigation 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 implementation of policies and plans to make the Shillong region a modern, clean and well-administered city.
By the court’s order dated 8th May, 2025, a division bench, comprising Chief Justice IP Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh, had taken on record the report filed by the government showing action in terms of the earlier order. The petitioners were given an opportunity to file a response to the said report by an affidavit by May 15, 2025.
On Wednesday, time was sought on behalf of the petitioners to file the affidavit.
“We only observe that if the petitioner had any grievance with regard to any policy or plan or implementation of the plan by the government, the response ought to have come by today. The affidavit not having been filed shows that the petitioner has got nothing much to say with regard to the action taken,” the bench said in an order.
“However, as a last chance, we grant the petitioner(s) an opportunity to bring to the notice of this Court any lacuna in this report filed by the government by extending time to file the affidavit till 2nd June, 2025,” the order further read.