By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 6: While the state government is making efforts to resolve the issue of street vending and transform Shillong into a hawker-free city, the problem is far from being solved.
The state government recently relocated hundreds of hawkers from the Police Bazar stretch to the MUDA parking lot, and efforts are now under way to shift vendors from the Shillong Civil Hospital area to a nearby location within the PWD office premises, only a few metres from the existing spot.
However, even as relocation continues in one part of the city, more hawkers are setting up temporary stalls in other areas.
Along the stretch from Jail Road to Khyndailad, the number of hawkers has noticeably increased, and a similar situation is unfolding in Motphran.
On one side of the road leading to Motphran from GS Road—an area that once had hardly any hawkers—several vendors have recently begun selling thrift clothes. Likewise, a few new vendors have set up small stalls on the pavement from the DC office to Police Bazar.
Even in the Shillong Civil Hospital area, a hawker was seen displaying thrift clothes on the railings for sale.
While the government’s earlier move to shift hawkers from Police Bazar to the MUDA parking lot was widely appreciated, the broader process of relocating hawkers from other areas has slowed down.
Urban Affairs Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar recently defended the delay, stating that the government wants to relocate hawkers to locations where they can have a “good and sustained livelihood”.
It may be noted that in February 2024, the Shillong Municipal Board conducted a survey, identifying 1,400 vendors across different parts of the city.
