Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday visited the Polo Vendors’ Market in Shillong to review the ongoing rehabilitation of street vendors, interact with vendors and distribute cheques under the Chief Minister’s Urban Livelihood Grant (CM ULG).
During the visit, the Chairman of the Town Vending Committee (TVC) briefed the chief minister on the functioning of the market and the relocation of vendors from the Polo and Jail Road areas.
Interacting with vendors, Sangma said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that “the general public can walk freely” while providing financial support to vendors affected by the relocation.
Under the CM ULG, vendors holding a valid Certificate of Vending (CoV) are eligible for assistance of Rs 20,000, comprising an immediate payment of Rs 10,000 and monthly support of Rs 2,000 for five months.
A total of 65 Certificates of Vending have been issued for the vending zone opposite the State Bank of India and 106 for the vending zone near Matri Mandir.
Sangma appealed to the public to cooperate with the relocation initiative, saying it was “the best way for us all to move together and move forward as a society.”
Acknowledging that challenges would remain, he said solutions could only be found through cooperation.
The chief minister later visited different sections of the market and interacted with vendors to understand their business conditions and experiences following the relocation.
The Polo Vendors’ Market has been established on a 2,270-square-metre site, with the vending area covering 620 square metres. The market has 132 stalls, of which 48 have been allotted to vendors from Polo and 84 to vendors from Jail Road. Seventy-two vendors have so far taken possession of their allotted stalls.
The relocation is being carried out under the Meghalaya Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme, 2023, through the Urban Affairs Department and the East Khasi Hills district administration.
The rehabilitation initiative, which was earlier undertaken in Khyndailad and near Civil Hospital, has now been extended to the Polo and Jail Road stretches.
The market has basic civic amenities, including toilets at the Polo Municipal Market. LED bulbs have been installed in the stalls for evening visibility, while eight halogen lamps have also been installed.
The vending zones accommodate different categories of vendors selling vegetables, fruits, garments, fast food, fish, chicken and pan products.
The relocation is aimed at improving pedestrian movement, reducing traffic congestion and creating safer public spaces in Shillong’s busy commercial areas. The government and Shillong Municipal Board are also seeking to move street vending into designated zones with sanitation, waste management and other civic facilities.
Under the current urban management plan, identified high-traffic stretches are being treated as no-vending zones, while eligible local vendors are being registered and issued Certificates of Vending to operate from designated vending areas.
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