SHILLONG, July 22: Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) authorities carried out a verification-cum-eviction drive in the Khyndai Lad area on Tuesday in compliance with the order of the High Court of Meghalaya.
During the drive, the authorities confiscated goods and dismantled stalls of street vendors who were operating without valid certificates of vending (CoVs).
The SMB also directed all hawkers operating at Khyndai Lad without valid CoVs to immediately remove their goods, stating they will no longer be permitted to conduct business in the area.
Officials from the district administration, Police department, and members of the hawkers’ association were present during the inspection.
Acting on a state government directive that set a deadline of July 22 for all unauthorised vendors to vacate the area, the SMB officials had been verifying vending permits for the past few days.
According to SMB records, a total of 407 hawkers currently operate in Khyndai Lad. Out of these, 285 have been issued CoVs while 34 hawkers have been barred from running business in the area after cancellation of their vending certificates.
The SMB has stated that the verification process is crucial to finalising the list of eligible vendors as directed by the court.
As part of its continuing oversight, the High Court had appointed Subhasis Chakrawarty as special officer to monitor compliance and implementation of vending regulations.
The state government has identified two designated vending zones in the city to relocate the certified hawkers.
These are located at the MUDA Complex parking lot and the parking lot opposite the SBI Main Branch at Khyndai Lad.
