CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Government has accelerated the relocation of street vendors in Shillong to designated vending zones and said notified no-vending zones would be strictly enforced after September under the Meghalaya Street Vendors Scheme, 2023.
The Urban Affairs Department said vendors from Polo and Jail Road had been shifted to designated vending spaces at Polo and the parking lot opposite SBI. It added that vendors from Secretariat Hills and IGP Junction would relocate on July 29.
The department said the relocation followed extensive consultations with stakeholders and that vendors had shifted voluntarily. It noted that the new vending zones offered improved facilities while protecting vendors' livelihoods.
To support the transition, the government said eligible vendors holding valid Certificates of Vending would receive Rs 20,000 under the Chief Minister's Urban Livelihood Grant, including an upfront payment of Rs 10,000 and a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000 for five months.
The department said the relocation process in Laitumkhrah would begin on August 17 and expressed confidence that all eligible registered vendors in Shillong Municipal area would be accommodated by the end of September, after which no-vending zones would be enforced to ease congestion and improve pedestrian movement.
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