The Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association has written to the district administration to plead for a “just solution” to the recent ban imposed on the open display of knives and daos for sale in Police Bazaar and Jail Road.
Locally made knives, daos, etc are openly sold in parts of town, either to locals or to tourists. In an order earlier this week, the District Magistrate of East Khasi Hills referred to the risk that miscreants might pick up such implements and use them as weapons against shopkeepers, the general public, etc. “Sale of such objects may be done only inside the shops under closed display,” the order added.
Hawker association general secretary Shane Thabah said in the letter that his members “were shocked” to read of the banning order.
“As you know, Khasi knives are a popular curio item bought by tourists visiting Shillong and preventing their sale would do a great harm to our livelihood,” Thabah said. “Obviously we understand the concern about public order, but together we can find a just solution to this.”
