SHILLONG, July 10: Hawkers on Friday staged a protest march to the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB), opposing the proposed relocation of vendors from Jail Road to Anjalee and demanding the immediate constitution of a full-fledged Town Vending Committee (TVC).
Carrying placards and raising slogans, the protesters maintained that no relocation should be carried out until the statutory TVC is constituted and vendors are taken into confidence.
Street Vendors’ Association general secretary Shane Thabah said the expiry of the Provisional Town Vending Committee (PTVC) and the “unilateral” decision-making thereafter triggered the protest.
“The PTVC was constituted for a year, and its term has already expired. We want a full-fledged TVC because decisions are no longer being taken collectively. One senior member of the PTVC is making all the decisions. This is illegal and shows no respect for the committee,” he alleged.
Thabah accused the government of failing to hold inclusive consultations with all stakeholders before taking decisions affecting street vendors.
He said traditional markets such as Iewduh, Iew Mawlong, and Motphran are heritage markets that have existed for generations and cannot simply be abolished.
“The law is meant to regulate street vending and ensure vendors and authorities work together, not to displace people from their traditional places of livelihood,” he said.
Thabah also questioned the issuance of Certificates of Vending (CoVs) and the declaration of certain vending areas as non-vending zones without the approval of the committee.
Referring to the proposed relocation in Laitumkhrah, he claimed that a site jointly identified by officials and vendors during inspections was later de-notified without consultation.
“We agreed to use the site despite its limitations because we wanted to cooperate with the government. But after a few days, it was de-notified. Such arbitrary decisions destroy public confidence,” he said.
He further alleged that the decision to relocate vendors from the Meghalaya Transport Corporation area was taken without the committee’s approval.
“We had only discussed shifting food vendors to the SMB parking lot, not clothes vendors. However, clothes vendors have now been issued CoVs to shift to Polo without any discussion. The decision came directly from the Municipal office,” he alleged.
Street vendor Larisa Marbaniang also opposed the proposed relocation of Jail Road vendors to Anjalee, saying the identified site was unsuitable for vending.
Thabah urged the government to conduct elections and constitute a full-fledged TVC at the earliest to ensure that decisions relating to street vendors are taken transparently and in accordance with the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act.
The Urban Affairs Department is finalising its street vendor relocation plan. Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Urban Affairs, Sniawbhalang Dhar, recently said the government expects to decide on relocating vendors in Laitumkhrah at the earliest and identify sites for vendors in other parts of Shillong.
According to the government, the relocation will be implemented in phases, with priority given to congested areas as part of its street vendor management plan.
