Shillong: As the Meghalaya government rolls out one of Shillong’s biggest street vending reforms in recent years, relocating vendors to designated vending zones under the Meghalaya Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme, 2023, the exercise is exposing the difficult balance between creating an organised city and protecting the livelihoods of thousands who depend on roadside trade.
For some vendors, the move promises better infrastructure and long-overdue recognition. For others, it represents uncertainty, shrinking incomes and fears of being left out of the process altogether.
The latest phase of the relocation covers vendors operating in the Polo, Jail Road, Secretariat Hills and IGP Junction areas. Vendors from Jail Road have been shifted to the vending zone opposite the State Bank of India (SBI), while those from Polo have been relocated to the vending zone near Matri Mandir.
According to the Urban Affairs Department, the relocation follows months of consultations through the Town Vending Committee.
The department maintains that the exercise has been carried out in accordance with the law while taking into account the livelihoods and concerns of vendors.
To ease the transition, the government has announced relocation assistance of ₹20,000 for eligible vendors holding valid Certificates of Vending (CoV). The package includes an upfront payment of ₹10,000, followed by monthly assistance of ₹2,000 for five months.
On the ground, however, the experience has been far from uniform.
Several vendors who spoke to EastMojo said they were either unaware of the financial assistance or had not received any payment so far, raising questions about how effectively information about the scheme has reached those it is intended to benefit.
For some, the relocation has brought tangible improvements. A vendor who earlier operated near Raj Bhawan said the new vending zone offers access to toilets and other basic amenities that were unavailable at the previous location.
Others agreed that the designated vending spaces provide a cleaner, more organised environment for conducting business.
Yet improved infrastructure has not necessarily translated into better business.
Many vendors said their daily earnings have fallen sharply since the relocation. One vendor, who had moved only three days earlier, said there were hardly any customers at the new site and that it would take time for people to become familiar with the location.
Others pointed out that they had spent years building loyal customer bases at their previous locations and feared those customers might never follow them to the new vending zones.
For a section of vendors, the challenge extends beyond declining sales.
Some claimed they had not been allotted stalls despite possessing the required documents. One vendor alleged that he was denied a stall because his Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) is registered in Bihar, even though he possesses an Aadhaar card, PAN card, labour licence and other official documents issued in Meghalaya.
Another vendor said he missed the verification process while attending to his father, who is undergoing cancer treatment. Despite submitting an application more than three months ago, he said, he has not received any response from the authorities.
Not everyone is willing to relocate.
Several vendors at Jail Road said they intend to continue operating from their existing location, arguing that moving to Polo would significantly reduce their earnings because the area already has many vendors selling similar products.
They also maintained that they have not obstructed pedestrians and have conducted their business responsibly for many years, questioning the need for relocation in their case.
The government, however, insists that the exercise is essential for Shillong’s urban management.
Responding to the concerns, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong appealed to vendors to cooperate with the relocation process.
He said the government’s objective is to create a more organised city while ensuring that vendors continue to earn their livelihoods.
He also reiterated that relocation assistance is being provided and urged all stakeholders to support the initiative.
The relocation exercise is far from over.
According to the Urban Affairs Department, the next phase will begin in Laitumkhrah on August 17. The government plans to relocate all eligible and registered vendors within the Shillong Municipal area to designated vending zones by the end of September, after which notified no-vending zones will be strictly enforced.
As Shillong reshapes its streetscape, the success of the exercise may ultimately depend not only on relocating vendors but also on ensuring that the new vending zones are economically viable.
For many whose livelihoods depend on daily footfall rather than infrastructure alone, the real test of the policy will be whether order can be achieved without sacrificing opportunity.
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