Shillong street vendors decry licence revocation, demand review of relocation process

Shillong, Aug 1: Street vendors—predominantly indigenous Khasi women—staged a protest outside the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) office on Friday, alleging arbitrary revocation of vending licences and biased stall allotments in the newly designated vending zone.

Organised under the banner of the Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association (MGSPHSVA), the protestors demanded an immediate review of the relocation process undertaken by the SMB and the Urban Affairs Department.

The vendors claimed that several legitimate local hawkers, especially Khasi women, were unfairly excluded from the final list of beneficiaries, while stalls were allegedly allocated to non-local vendors.

Carrying placards, the protestors also submitted a memorandum to the authorities, seeking urgent redressal of their grievances.

"Our names were there in the survey, and we even received vending certificates. But now our names are missing, and others have taken our place," said one of the protesting vendors.

The protest follows a July 29 order of the Meghalaya High Court, which disposed of a PIL on vendor relocation, observing that the government had complied with the court's directive to shift certified vendors from Khyndailad to the vending zone at the MUDA Parking Complex by July 22.'

Officials report 407 vendors identified in formal survey, with 311 receiving Certificates of Vending (CoVs). Plus, 282 stalls at the MUDA complex are now occupied. 

The relocation is part of the implementation of the Meghalaya Street Vendors Scheme, 2023.

However, vendors at the protest alleged that the final list of beneficiaries was never published publicly, and many certified vendors were excluded without notice.

They demanded a halt to further evictions and a transparent reassessment of stall allotments.

Angela Rngad, leader of the civil society group Thma U Rangli-Juki (TUR), speaking on behalf of MGSPHSVA, warned that the protest may intensify if the Town Vending Committee (PTVC) is not convened immediately to address the grievances of vendors whose CoVs were revoked despite being eligible.

She alleged that the Shillong Municipal Board had bypassed the PTVC and issued or revoked vending licences in an arbitrary manner, potentially favouring certain individuals.

"This must go through the PTVC with proper documentation to prevent corruption or bias," she said.

Rngad said many legitimate vendors are still awaiting CoVs and questioned the lack of transparency in determining vendor eligibility.

She also raised concerns about alleged irregularities in the construction and allocation of stalls at the vending zone.

Meanwhile, the High Court has scheduled the next hearing on pending concerns, including licence revocations, on August 5.

PTI