Shillong: The Meghalaya Urban Affairs Department, in collaboration with the East Khasi Hills district administration, has relocated street vendors from the Polo and Jail Road areas to designated vending zones as part of the implementation of the Meghalaya Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme, 2023.
The relocation follows similar exercises carried out in the Khyndailad and Civil Hospital areas, with vendors from Polo and Jail Road now operating from newly constructed vending stalls.
Vendors who were earlier operating along Jail Road, from the OB Shopping Mall to the petrol pump at the MTC Complex, have been shifted to the designated vending zone at the parking lot opposite the State Bank of India (SBI).
The vending zone near Matri Mandir in Polo has a capacity of 132 stalls, of which 70 are currently occupied. Meanwhile, the designated vending zone at the parking lot opposite the SBI has 79 stalls, with nine currently occupied, while the relocation process is still underway.
According to the Urban Affairs Department, 22 vendors from Secretariat Hills and IGP Junction were scheduled to relocate to the SBI parking lot vending zone on July 29.
The department said the relocation process involved extensive consultations and coordination among various stakeholders. In Polo, the Town Vending Committee held 29 formal meetings with vendor associations and other stakeholders before the relocation was implemented.
It said the exercise was carried out in accordance with the law while taking into consideration the concerns, livelihoods and dignity of the vendors.
The department also highlighted that vendors voluntarily relocated to the designated spaces without the need for strict enforcement, adding that the newly constructed stalls would provide a more organised environment for them to conduct their businesses.
To support vendors during the transition, the Meghalaya government has announced the Chief Minister’s Urban Livelihood Grant. Under the scheme, vendors holding a valid Certificate of Vending (CoV) will receive ₹20,000 in relocation assistance, comprising an upfront payment of ₹10,000 and a monthly allowance of ₹2,000 for the following five months.
A total of 65 CoVs have been issued for the vending zone opposite the SBI, while 106 CoVs have been issued for the vending zone near Matri Mandir in Polo.
The Urban Affairs Department said the next phase of the relocation exercise will begin in Laitumkhrah on August 17, with the government aiming to accommodate all eligible and registered vendors within the Shillong Municipal area in designated vending spaces by the end of September.
Following the completion of the relocation process, notified no-vending zones will be strictly enforced, the department said.
The move is expected to help reduce congestion, improve pedestrian movement and contribute to a more organised urban environment in Shillong.
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