SHILLONG, July 9: The state government has initiated the process of relocating street hawkers from across the city as part of a broader effort to ease traffic congestion and facilitate smoother pedestrian movement in the city, Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Affairs Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters, Dhar said the ongoing relocation exercise is being carried out with the objective of ensuring better urban mobility and restoring order in busy commercial areas of the city.
Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) CEO, PK Boro issued a notice, informing that the special officer appointed by the High Court of Meghalaya to oversee implementation of its orders related to hawkers’ issue will convene a joint meeting with the local and police authorities as well as the hawkers’ association on July 16.
The High Court on July 3 appointed senior Advocate Subhasis Chakrawarty as special officer to ensure compliance with its directives on relocation of hawkers.
The SMB CEO informed that the proposed meeting will chalk out the plan for relocation of hawkers to designated vending zones without any breach of peace or commission of any offence, in consultation with the general secretary of hawkers’ association, local and police authorities.
In line with this initiative, the government is also finalising plans for creation of additional parking spaces across key locations in the city.
The Urban Affairs Minister stated that several areas have already been earmarked for the development of parking lots, including prominent sites near the Secretariat, Motphran, and the Polo Market.
He said the intention is not to experiment with parking solutions but to implement a formal, structured parking policy that addresses Shillong’s growing number of vehicles and traffic congestion.
Clarifying further, Dhar said the government is in the process of legalising parking systems under an established policy framework.
As part of this plan, multiple parking facilities are being constructed, with the potential to accommodate over 1,000 vehicles in total, he said.
Dhar added that some of these new parking zones are nearing completion and are expected to become operational soon.
The minister reiterated that the government’s dual strategy of relocating hawkers and creating adequate parking space is focused on decongesting the city roads and improving the overall experience for both pedestrians and commuters in Shillong.
