By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 4: The Meghalaya & Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors’ Association (MGSPHSVA) has raised serious concerns over the recent relocation drive carried out by the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB), calling it forceful, chaotic, and unlawful.
In a detailed letter submitted to Subhasis Chakrawarty, the Special Officer appointed by the High Court of Meghalaya, the association alleged that the relocation conducted on July 23 at Khyndai Lad—and in the days that followed—displaced several genuine hawkers, especially those without licenses, while many licensed vendors were shifted to ill-prepared vending zones.
The association pointed out that relocation in the absence of a final list of licensed vendors is illegal. While the names of 407 so-called “eligible vendors” were shared on July 16, MGSPHSVA stated that the list was riddled with serious anomalies and inconsistencies.
MGSPHSVA general secretary Shane Thabah alleged that the SMB has acted in an opaque and unaccountable manner, excluding many genuine vendors while including ineligible ones, some of whom were even issued licenses.
According to Thabah, the eviction drive violates both the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, and the high court’s directive, particularly since Point (ii) of the court’s order regarding final vendor listings has not been fulfilled.
He also criticised how relocation notices were issued. “I received the notice via WhatsApp at 4:19 am, with no consultation with the Provisional Town Vending Committee (PTVC) or the hawkers’ association,” he said.
The association clarified that it had agreed to support re-spacing and relocation, but only after a final list was published, licenses issued, and suitable infrastructure was readied.
Thabah said the MUDA parking lot, which is currently being prepared as a vending site, remains grossly unfit.
“Basic amenities like toilets, waste and water management, hygiene infrastructure, and even a crèche are still lacking, despite being formally recorded in earlier PTVC meetings,” he pointed out.
He also criticised the design of the stalls. “A one-size-fits-all approach was used, without considering the diverse requirements of different trades. What a shoe or garment vendor needs is very different from what fruit, vegetable, or jewellery vendors require,” he said.
Food vendors, who were originally assigned space outside the MUDA shopping complex, are now being forced into the parking lot’s interior, despite incomplete construction and unhygienic conditions marked by severe waterlogging, he complained. Calling the relocation of food vendors “unjust and unsafe,” the association demanded that it be suspended immediately. It also slammed the arbitrary lucky draw stall allocation system, stating that it created confusion and has resulted in cases where multiple vendors were assigned the same stall.
Thabah urged the authorities to address potential corruption risks by building strong safeguards in the vending space’s operational management.
The MGSPHSVA is demanding the reorganisation and redesigning of the vending space in the MUDA Parking Lot to address the concerns of the hawkers.
The association demanded a review and finalisation of the disbursement of the first tranche of Rs 10,000 and then Rs 2,000 each month for the next five months, allocated as an incentive for hawkers upon relocation.
It also underlined the urgent need to develop an end-to-end MIS for the implementation of the Street Vendors Act, ensure transparency and accountability of the process, and clear the backlog of issuing licenses to all the surveyed and eligible vendors (106, according to the lists available so far).
It further suggested a round of rapid re-survey and the claims and objection process to include those who have been left out in this process, despite being genuine hawkers.
The high court is scheduled to hear the case related to the hawkers and their relocation on Tuesday.