Inaction emboldens users into open threat to all
SHILLONG, July 9: An unchecked drug menace around Lum Survey and the Ajmera area along GS Road and Police Bazar is crippling business in one of Shillong’s busiest commercial zones while turning the locality into an open threat to residents, shoppers, vendors and visitors alike.
Shopkeepers and street vendors say evening footfall has dropped sharply as customers — including families — now avoid the area after dusk, fearing crime, anti-social behaviour and encounters with drug users who openly inject narcotics in public.
The result: direct and mounting losses for traders who once depended on steady evening sales.
Several shopkeepers and vendors who spoke to The Shillong Times refused to be identified, citing fear of retaliation from drug peddlers and users.
“People are scared to come here in the evening. Earlier, families and shoppers would walk around this area, but now many avoid it because of the drug users. It is affecting our business,” one shopkeeper said on condition of anonymity.
Another vendor, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said regular customers have stopped lingering, with sales declining steadily.
The problem has been worsened by what traders describe as a lack of meaningful action by authorities. Despite the visible presence of police and traffic personnel, drug users and peddlers appear emboldened. Several sources alleged that individuals picked up by police are often seen back in the same spots within hours, sending a clear signal that there is little to fear.
Groups of children and teenagers — some as young as 13 or 14, mostly tribals — are seen injecting drugs in the open almost daily. “They are here every day. Sometimes they fight among themselves over drugs. When they cannot get drugs or when prices go up, they behave like zombies,” a vendor said.
Petty theft has become routine. Vendors say they witness daylight snatches but no longer intervene or report every case, fearing retaliation. One shopkeeper recalled being attacked days after filing a complaint against peddlers. Since then, most have chosen silence.
“Even if you catch the person who snatched your phone, you won’t find anything because it has already been handed over to someone else, who disappears,” another shopkeeper alleged.
Traders also begin their day by clearing discarded syringes and used injections left overnight, exposing them to hygiene risks and potential needle-stick injuries. Some vendors claimed suppliers arrive in vehicles, make deliveries behind the Ajmera complex and leave quickly — claims that remain unverified.
The sense of helplessness deepened after one vendor took a suspected thief to the police, only to be told: “Why are you beating them? If they die, will you take responsibility?” Most vendors say they stopped confronting anyone after that.A frequent visitor from Assam recalled being confronted by two or three men who tried to rob him near the MUDA parking lot. While some tourists said they had not faced such incidents, the recurring reports have damaged the area’s reputation as a safe commercial hub.
Shopkeepers and vendors insist the drug users generally do not harass them directly, yet the combination of open consumption, theft, fights, public disorder and the visible failure of enforcement has made the locality feel unsafe for everyone — traders trying to earn a living, families avoiding evening outings, and visitors who once enjoyed the bustling market.
The fear of identification and retaliation has ensured that most shopkeepers remain silent, allowing the drug menace to persist unchecked. Unless decisive action follows, they fear, one of Shillong’s key commercial stretches will continue to lose customers, livelihoods will suffer further, and the open drug threat will remain a daily reality for all who live, work or pass through the area.
