Shillong, Nov 24:The Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association and its members, who are also part of the Provisional Town Vending Committee (PTVC), opposed the notification on vending in the Civil Hospital junction.
The notification was issued on November 14, signed by the ADC East Khasi Hills cum Secretary PTVC.
There has been no discussion whatsoever regarding the issuance of this notification and no decisions to this effect in the PTVC, and hence the question arises as to how unilaterally the secretary PTVC issued such a notification containing the names of persons, asking them to appear before a committee for claims and objections.
There was no discussion regarding the setting up of such a committee, nor discussion about this process and date in the PTVC. In fact, despite the associations’ repeated petitions demanding for a proper SOP about the claims and objections process given the confusion, bias and arbitrary denials that arose when hawkers of the Khyndailad area were issued Certificates of Vending (COVs), there has been no attempt to establish the same, even as the MGSPHSVA has even submitted draft SOPs to the PTVC and Shillong Municipal Board.
She said that when an in-situ survey took place across Shillong in December 2023, it captured only 29 vendors in the Civil Hospital area, although there are approximately 43 genuine hawkers who have been vending in the area for many years. The list that the SMB unilaterally published after completing the survey in Shillong, on May 27, of so-called eligible vendors in the civil hospital area, even though the claims and objections process had not taken place, contains only 14 names, without giving any reason for the denial or exclusion of other genuine vendors. More than 50% of the surveyed hawkers who have been surveyed in situ, i.e, about 15, are being wrongfully omitted and not even allowed to participate in the claims and objections process, he said.
While there is an attempt to exclude genuine hawkers, the most recent notification of November 2025 contains only 12 names and includes some people who have not even been surveyed.
“Such claims and objections process must include all the 15 vendors who have been surveyed but are rejected wrongfully along with approximately 14 vendors who have been left out of the survey itself – total of approximately 29 genuine vendors who have been left out wrongfully out of approximately 43 vendors who are vending in the area for years and for whom Street Vendors Act 2014 has been put in place.
Without a fair and transparent process of claims and objections, no licenses should be given out, as it may enable corruption, injustice, and abuse of power, she said.
While MGSPHSVA had undertaken a joint inspection of a temporary alternative vending site for the vendors while the site at Civil Hospital is being constructed, the Association had made it clear that an MoU needs to be undertaken, stating that the alternative site is a temporary measure till such time a permanent space is made at Civil Hospital in a time-bound manner. Vendors will move out only after such an MoU is executed collectively with the hawkers of the area, and a proper claims and objections process should be undertaken for all genuine hawkers.
