Trading license to non-tribals
SHILLONG: The state youth wing of the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has opposed the move of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) to issue trading license to the non-tribal vendors.
Maintaining that they are glad over the order prohibiting non-tribal hawkers from doing business, KHNAM in a memorandum stated that KHADC will flout the provisions in 3A(b), 3A(c) of Trading by Non-Tribal Regulation 1954 and the provisions in 4(a) (b) (i), (ii) and (iv) of Trading by Non-Tribal Rules 2019 if it issues license to the non-tribal vendors.
“We don’t want the minting of money through the Trade department to be the main motive of the Council. Instead, it should ensure that trade is retained by the indigenous people. Till date the Council has issued 344 trading licenses and we came to know that there are many more which KHNAM will find out,” state youth wing secretary, F Marpna, said. KHNAM has urged the Council to be vigilant and not to issue a single trading license to the vendors. Executive Member (EM) in-charge Trade, Paul Lyngdoh had earlier said non-tribal hawkers should approach the Council for trading license.
He informed that the discretion to issue or not issue a vending license is up to the Trade department and applications of the hawkers will not be considered if hawking is being carried out illegally, in unhygienic ways or causes inconvenience to the general public.