Implementation of Meghalaya Street Vendors Act questioned

FROM OUR STAFF CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, Sept 8: Youth who are into street mobile as well as statiory food catering in Kyndailad (Police Bazaar point) on Tuesday questioned the implementation of the Meghalaya Street Vendors (Protection and Regulation of Street Vendors) Act, 2014.

The questions came along with supplementary queries to the government much encouraged ‘skill development programme’ to empower the youths when such displayed of self empowerments was accompanied by regular evictions from the spot that they are engaging in business.

The Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) has been carrying eviction drive at Khyndailad and the stretch along the GS Road to decongest the areas.

The latest who faced the SMB wrath were the evening mobile and statiory food hawkers. These latest victims who claimed themselves of trying to live up with the Government Skill Development Programme to generate self employment told newsmen on Tuesday, “The contradiction is visible when the policy does not match the execution.”

“We have legislation where a Town vending committee will mark a vending point. It has not been done and the SMB officials come to an unmarked vending area, seized our items and chased us away,” stated Shirup Kurbah, a mobile caterer who starts his business after dark.

Claiming that the authorities have not even started the digitalizing photo census to complete the formalities of the Meghalaya Street Vendors (protection and regulation of street Vendors) Act, 2014, Kurbah said, “The eviction is already illegal. Talking about the self employment that they wanted to created in view of the acute unemployment problem in the state.”

However, the SMB has been forced to carry the eviction drive in many stretches of Shillong city since the hawkers have even encroached public pathways causing much inconvenience to the commuters. The situation is such that the hawkers have started thinking the footpaths as their public property.