Shillong: The Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills District has recently ordered all shops and restaurants in Shillong city to shut down by 10 pm. A visit to Police Bazar, also known as Khyndailad, a popular commercial hub revealed mixed reactions from the public.
On Wednesday, when EastMojo visited the market, Kailash Varma, owner of Delhi Mistan, was all praises for the new government order. Varma commended the efforts of the administration and revealed that the order does not affect his shop as his establishment closes by 9 pm.
Expressing concern over the safety of tourists in the city, Varma said, “People should avoid playing loud music at night and also not drink and drive. If they want to drink, they should drink comfortably at home.” He also appealed that the order be implemented uniformly, for all vendors and shops.
Devendra Singhania, the headman of Police Bazar, shared how the situation is not a significant concern during weekdays as compared to the weekends. He highlighted issues such as people parking cars by the road, playing loud music, and even drinking inside the vehicles, which became a challenge to control.
He explained, “When they are questioned, they get into an argument and creates a law-and-order situation.” Singhania supported the DC’s decision, considering the current situation in the city.
However, there were some that did not approve of the new order which prohibits the operation of businesses beyond 10PM.
Arun Karthik, owner of Madras Cafe, expressed that the order would adversely affect his business as the cafe closes after 10 pm. He pointed out that tourists returning to Shillong after sightseeing trips may find all restaurants closed, which would not be favourable. He suggested that the order could potentially be imposed by 11 pm.
Tourists Bhanu Pratap Singh and his wife Priyanka believed that local shops and businesses would be more affected than the tourists. Singh said, “I believe it is just the lack of the administration to control the law and order in the state.” He proposed either the early closing times, such as 8 pm, or the early closure of bars and liquor shops.
Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism Paul Lyngdoh informed that he had discussed the matter with the Home Minister, Prestone Tynsong, who decided to convene a high-level meeting regarding the recent order.
Lyngdoh said, “We expect things to change based on the proceedings of the meeting.”
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He also expressed concern about instilling confidence in the public when everything is closed, highlighting that “stray incidents” can occur in any city, even in well-known destinations like London or Paris.
Regarding the DC’s statement about people being home by 10 pm, he questioned the definitions of ‘normal and abnormal’ when in metropolitan cities people drop in for dinner at midnight. He also expressed concern about how it would affect local entrepreneur and tourism.
Citing an increase in the number of arrests related to criminal activities in the state, he said that the law and order situation has “improved tremendously”.
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