By Our reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 4: As the hawkers and vendors’ association sits tangled in a complex litigation primarily concerning their relocation and the implementation of the Street Vendors Act, 2014, it is now being portrayed that the hawkers have been “targeted as the cause of congestion” in Shillong.
The Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association (MGSPHSVA) invitee member, Angela Rangad, has said that hawkers were “dragged” into the ongoing litigation that was originally meant to address traffic and parking congestion in the city.
“Now, it is the hawkers who have been targeted, supposedly as the cause of congestion in the city,” Rangad said, accusing certain government functionaries of taking advantage of the litigation and hiding behind court orders.
Interestingly, Rangad pointed out that not a single clear directive concerning parking or public transport has emerged from the case so far. She questioned how, if the matter was truly about traffic and parking, one of the city’s largest parking lots has now been occupied by hawkers, leaving no space for vehicles. “And if you notice, the places from where hawkers—especially food vendors—have been removed were actually ideal locations for them. Now that they’ve been removed, these areas have become congested with illegal parking. So, who takes responsibility for this is an open question,” she remarked.
Rangad further observed that hawkers have repeatedly been unfairly blamed for causing congestion in Shillong.
When asked if the association planned to approach the court over alleged corruption and discrepancies in the issuance of Certificates of Vending (CoVs), she said that they would explore legal options if necessary.
“At the moment, we will continue to pursue the matter with the Provisional Town Vending Committee (PTVC) to ensure that all genuine hawkers receive their CoVs,” Rangad stated.
She added that the PTVC, which was meant to function temporarily for about a year, should now be replaced by a full-fledged Town Vending Committee (TVC) — a process that has yet to materialise. “For us, the priority has always been to safeguard the interests of hawkers and to resolve issues through the PTVC, especially since the process was already underway for the Khyndai Lad area,” Rangad explained.
Meanwhile, she noted that authorities have yet to provide any account of the expenses incurred for the construction work inside the MUDA parking lot, which was carried out to facilitate the relocation of vendors.
It may be mentioned that the association had, on September 24, lodged a complaint with the Chief Executive Officer of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) over what it described as unjustified delays in issuing CoVs to around 70 of its members.
The association alleged that despite being genuine vendors who have been in the trade for years, many hawkers have been excluded from the process due to errors, discrepancies, and possible irregularities.
