The Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association (MGSPHSVA) has taken exception to a statement made by cabinet minister Paul Lyngdoh that its leaders were obstructing relocation with a hidden agenda to scupper resolution.
“It is not surprising given the record of this career politician to be issuing such statements, but it is shameful none the less, especially given that he was also once an urban affairs minister who never thought of or did anything about this issue,” the association said.
“We urge the minister to substantiate his allegations against the association, else we will be forced to take legal remedies against him,” it added.
The association said it was the one who ensured that the central law on hawking is adopted in Meghalaya after a 7 year-long court battle and its representatives who have put in place processes towards realising the law is implemented in letter and spirit.
Stating that the government is trying to subvert a proper and transparent implementation of the law, MGSPHSVA general secretary Shane Thabah said its objection is on the “haphazard issuing of licenses to non-genuine hawkers, denial to genuine hawkers”.
Terming the recent evictions “illegal” he said it brought chaos to the Khyndailad area, where goods were illegally lifted even those of hawkers who have certificates of vending.
Thabah said the association, which is a member of the Provisional Town Vending Committee, knows that a second list is awaited. “We had agreed to a phased manner of issuing Certificate of Vending. So the threat that there is a deadline of July 22 to shift does not cut ice with us, because we have never agreed to even such a date,” he said.
The hawkers and street vendors can even shift before the deadline if the processes were in place and the space made ready through collaborative planning and designing, Thabah said, adding, “The fact remains that there are anomalies in the process that need addressing, else it will only compound the issue.”
The MGSPHSVA further stated that the number of vendors surveyed and those who are eligible across different sites in Shillong is false and misleading because the claims and objections and other processes are not complete.
“It is also a blatant lie that relocation infrastructure is in place. Discussions in the PTVC are still ongoing as also the government support pledged towards the hawkers during relocation. In fact we had put in apprehensions that in the absence of mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability we do not wish for such transactions that may in fact turn out to be an avenue for corruption in the name of hawkers,” the association said.
Urging the government to refrain from wilfully misleading the public on the hawker issue the association also condemned the continued law and order situation being created by municipal authorities in the Khyndailad area. It said that forceful and illegal evictions continue with threat, intimidation and force by government functionaries.
The MGSPHSVA said on Wednesday buses and municipal vehicles were deliberately parked in the area with the intention of disrupting the livelihoods of the hawkers. “These intimidation tactics will not deter us from continuing our demand that the law be implemented in letter and spirit,” it said.
