The Meghalaya & Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association (MGSPHSVA) in the past two weeks has made as many as 4 detailed submissions to the special officer appointed by the High Court, the DC and Chairperson PTVC highlighting the many ways in which the Street Vendors Act 2014 has been deliberately undermined including in the unlawful and forceful relocation of hawkers from Khyndai Lad to the MUDA Parking Lot on July 23, 2025, carried out by the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) in complete violation of due process, the High Court order dated July 3, 2025, and the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.
This action, taken without consultation with the hawkers associations and the Provisional Town Vending Committee, lacked transparency and preparedness, which has left genuine, long-standing vendors in a state of uncertainty and distress, and raises grave concerns about the functioning, intent, and accountability of the SMB.
Till date there has been no action on the part of the government to rectify the grave anomalies highlighted and no attempt to convene a PTVC meeting to examine the issues that the hawkers and street vendors were compelled to stage a protest outside the Municipal office on 1st August 2025.
Our Primary Concerns continue to be
No Final List of Licensed Vendors
The SMB has failed to publish a final, verified list of licensed vendors, as required by the High Court order.
Multiple contradictory and error-ridden lists have excluded genuine, surveyed hawkers without reason, while some ineligible individuals have been granted licenses.
Unlawful Evictions
Notices for eviction were sent via WhatsApp in the early hours of July 23, giving hawkers only a few hours to vacate.
Relocation proceeded despite no final list being in place, rendering the entire exercise illegal and in bad faith.
Unsafe, Unready Vending Space
The MUDA Parking Lot remains under construction, with no basic infrastructure like water, toilets, waste disposal, or safe electrical fittings.
The stalls are unfit for diverse trades and were constructed without any consultation with vendors or PTVC representatives.
No SOPs or Participatory Process
No Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were issued for this relocation.
A last-minute “lucky draw” was used to allocate stalls, resulting in mass confusion, duplicate allotments, and absence of accountability.
Marginalization of Genuine Vendors
Over 106 vendors who were surveyed have not received licenses and have been left with no place to vend.
Food vendors, who were promised locations in the MUDA frontage, have been pushed indoors into unhygienic and unsuitable conditions.
Our Demands
We urgently demand that the following steps be taken to rectify this situation:
Immediate convening of the PTVC to deliberate on the unlawful relocation and the way forward. The PTVC has not convened since June 23, and after our 1st August protest, a notice calling for a meeting of the PTVC on 6th August has been issued.
Re-spacing of the Khyndai Lad area, as previously discussed at the PTVC.
Re-design and restructuring of the MUDA vending site in a participatory manner, taking into account the needs of different trades.
Issuance of licenses (CoVs) to all surveyed and eligible hawkers, and a rapid re-survey to include those left out.
Establishment of a transparent grievance redressal mechanism and publication of all vendor-related data in the public domain.
Disclosure of expenditures and contracts related to the MUDA site and safeguards against the corruption and resale of stalls.
This relocation drive represents not just a failure of governance but a direct attack on the rights, dignity, and survival of street vendors in Shillong.
It is also important to reiterate that the process for claims and objections and issuing of CoV has happened with oversight of the PTVC for Only a stretch of the road in Khyndailad and no other place. It is therefore concerning that the municipal authorities are unilaterally calling up individuals and issuing CoVs who vend in other parts of Shillong, which is arbitrary and illegal considering that the PTVC has not started the processes for any other area. We urge that this illegal action is stopped immediately to ensure transparency and prevent corrupt practices.
MGSPHSVA categorically rejects the process in its current form and demands immediate, corrective, and participatory action. Our repeated efforts to cooperate with authorities and contribute meaningfully to planning have been ignored. The result is displacement, disorder, and deep distress among hundreds of vendors who have earned their livelihoods with honesty and resilience.
Shane Thabah
General Secretary
MGSPHSVA
