CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: The Meghalaya government said its street vendor relocation programme prioritises rehabilitation over eviction by providing alternative vending spaces with essential civic amenities before enforcing restrictions in notified no-vending zones.
The relocation drive is being carried out under the Meghalaya Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme, 2023, with the government aiming to accommodate all eligible and registered vendors in designated vending zones within Shillong Municipal area by the end of September.
Adviser to the Social Welfare Department Paul Lyngdoh said the initiative formed part of a broader urban redevelopment plan that ensured vendors were not displaced without alternatives. He said the new vending zones were equipped with facilities such as water, electricity and washrooms while protecting vendors' livelihoods.
The Urban Affairs Department, in coordination with the East Khasi Hills district administration, has relocated vendors from Polo and Jail Road to designated vending zones, following earlier relocation from Khyndailad and the Civil Hospital area. Vendors from Jail Road have begun operating from newly built stalls at the parking lot opposite SBI, while another vending zone near Matri Mandir in Polo has been developed for relocated vendors.
Officials said the Polo vending zone has 132 stalls, of which 70 are occupied, while the SBI parking lot has 79 stalls, with nine currently occupied. The government also plans to relocate 22 vendors from Secretariat Hills and IGP Junction to the SBI vending zone.
The government said the relocation followed extensive consultations with stakeholders, including 29 meetings of the Town Vending Committee for the Polo exercise. It added that vendors shifted voluntarily without the need for strict enforcement.
To support relocated vendors, the government has introduced the Chief Minister's Urban Livelihood Grant, under which eligible vendors holding a Certificate of Vending will receive Rs 20,000 in assistance, including an upfront payment of Rs 10,000 and a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000 for five months. A total of 65 Certificates of Vending have been issued for the SBI parking lot and 106 for the Matri Mandir vending zone.
Also Read: Eviction Drive to Free Government Land Sparks Tension in Tripura’s Bishalgarh