SHILLONG, June 27: With the deadline for hawkers/street vendors to shift from Khyndai Lad ending on Tuesday, and no visible action seen on their part to heed the directive, the state government on Friday made it clear that the law will take its own course as far as their eviction is concerned.
“Deadline has already expired. Now, whether they move or not is immaterial. They have been given alternative spaces. The law will take it own course,” Cabinet Minister Paul Lyngdoh said.
He recalled that notices were sent to around 400 vendors who were identified through a rigorous procedure. “We are aware that the problem of street vending is causing daily discomfort and inconvenience to people using the streets of Shillong,” he said.
Making it clear that the hawkers cannot argue about their right to livelihood, he said, “Apart from vendors, you also have pedestrians and motorists. They do not from associations, they don’t go to court.
“The roads of Shillong are not for just one category of users,” he stated.
It may be noted that the government intends to relocate around 200 hawkers from Khyndai Lad area. The government had scrutinised the documents of over 200 hawkers who qualify under the parameters set by the Town Vending Committee and the Shillong Municipal Board.
Three places in Khyndai Lad have been identified for rehabilitation of the hawkers which includes the MTC and MUDA complexes.
Once hawkers are rehabilitated from Khyndai Lad, the entire area will be declared a pedestrian zone with no facilities and space for hawking.
