Hawkers, street vendors protest eviction drive
SHILLONG, July 1: The MDA Government has alleged that a handful of leaders within the Meghalaya & Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association (MGSPHSVA) are deliberately obstructing the planned relocation of street traders to the upper-floor parking lot of the MUDA complex — already designated as an official vending zone.
Cabinet Minister and Government Spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh made the allegation following the association’s protest against what it called an illegal eviction drive in Khyndai Lad on Tuesday.
According to Lyngdoh, while most vendors have cooperated during year-long negotiations, a small faction appears intent on keeping the issue unresolved. He noted that the protest march in front of the Secretariat violated Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and warned that the administration would not allow the rule of law to be undermined.
The government has extended the final relocation deadline to July 22 and announced a package of incentives to support the move — each registered vendor will receive a Rs 10,000 shifting allowance, along with a monthly support of Rs 2,000 for five months after relocating to the designated vending zone. “These concessions reflect a responsible and responsive approach aimed at decongesting Shillong while protecting the rights of motorists, pedestrians, and traders alike,” Lyngdoh stated.
He stressed that equal access to public spaces is non-negotiable, and pedestrianisation plans for Khyndai Lad will proceed once street stalls are cleared from the roadways. Dismissing claims that the relocation is being rushed under court pressure, the minister clarified that dialogue has been ongoing for 12 months and that all relevant documentation will be submitted to the High Court of Meghalaya as part of a traffic-management litigation process. He added that the Town Vending Committee has held multiple meetings over the past year — each minuted — with vendor representatives, including senior leaders of the association, having agreed to the relocation terms.
Nonetheless, Lyngdoh affirmed that the government remains open to dialogue, and the Town Vending Committee has been instructed to convene again within days to address any remaining grievances.
Regarding Monday’s enforcement action in Khyndai Lad, the minister clarified that it targeted only those vendors operating without valid Certificates of Vending. He described the confrontation as unfortunate but maintained that undocumented traders cannot be allowed to continue occupying public spaces.
With relocation infrastructure in place and financial support available, the government asserts that any further resistance stems from vested interests rather than genuine vendor concerns. The government has made it clear that patience will extend only until July 22. After that, enforcement agencies are expected to remove any vendors who have not relocated to the sanctioned facility, allowing what the minister called “the rule of law” to take its course.
Call for Provisional Town Vending Committee meet
Refusing to have any dialogue with the state government, the Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association (MGSPHSVA) demanded an emergency meeting of the Provisional Town Vending Committee (PTVC) to rectify procedural flaws.
Members of the association staged a protest outside the Main Secretariat on Tuesday in response to the ongoing eviction drive carried out by the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB).
Asserting that the eviction drive at Khyndai was illegal, Thma U Rangli Juki (TUR) leader, Angela Rangad, ruled out any possibility of dialogue with the government until it thoroughly addresses the longstanding grievances raised by the hawkers and street vendors since 2016. She said the MGSPHSVA wrote to the Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Urban Affairs, Sniawbhalang Dhar, on Monday, demanding that the government recall the file from the PTVC, the SMB, and the Urban Affairs Department.
She said the government must first understand the root causes behind the protests.
“Let them study the matter and understand the issue in-depth. We are being forced to protest because the government has failed to address the problems and grievances of the hawkers and street vendors,” she added.
Rangad accused the government of ignoring the recommendations and suggestions made by the MGSPHSVA. She warned that protests would continue in different forms until the government fully implements the Meghalaya Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014. “We will continue our democratic protest. Let us not forget that we were the ones who pushed for the implementation of the Act in the state,” Rangad asserted.
According to her, the hawkers and street vendors have been going along with that law to have an in situ survey, claims and objection process, and for the issuance of certificates of vending.
Pointing out that it is still a provisional town vending committee, Rangad said the authorities should look at re-spacing and relocation of a stretch of the Khyndailad, not the entire area, as a pilot project. The TUR leader stated that the CEO of the SMB, who is the chairperson of the PTVC, had authorised the eviction drive on the pretext that they were checking the certificates of vending, which is illegal.
She alleged that the SMB staff are even lifting the goods of people who have certificates of vending. “Now, we are demanding an emergency meeting of the PVTC since these issues need to be rectified and straightened,” Rangad said.
She stated that, without a town vending committee yet and the consent of the vendors, declaring vending and no-vending zones is illegal.
“Till now, they have not calculated the holding capacity. What is shocking is that they have started the process of eviction without starting the relocation process,” she said.
Rangad alleged that the SMB’s action was to show the High Court of Meghalaya that they are taking some action on the issue of hawkers.
She said the authorities intend to use the media coverage (on the eviction) as a response to a petition to be heard by the court on July 3. “I am sure that the court will not be misled, but the reality is that the action taken by the authorities is illegal,” the TUR leader said. “We are sure that the court will not condone this. You cannot misinterpret the law,” she said.