Shillong, Oct 28: Street vendors who were recently forced to relocate to the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) parking lot from the Khyndailad pedestrian area three months ago have by and large taken a hit to their incomes as sales have dropped sharply.
According to the vendors, the placement of their stalls has been haphazardly made, thereby making it difficult for goods to be sold, especially those dealing in perishable items.
The street hawkers also claim that the parking lot is dingy, poorly lit, smells and is prone to leaking. The entrance to the area is also unattractive for customers.
One woman selling various types of chillies and other perishable items said that initially she was allotted space deep inside the market but, due to the nature of her goods, she demanded space in the front.
“Even though I got this new place it has not been properly set up. I hardly do business of a few hundred rupees nowadays though I spent much more to buy these perishable items,” she said.
Another vendor selling clothes said that it has become difficult for him to make ends meet since he shifted inside the MUDA complex. “I hardly sell anything after I shifted inside. I have to pay rent, school fees and also manage for food,” he stated.
Another woman vendor selling footwear also complained of poor sales after the move.
“I have high blood pressure. The place is so congested we barely have a place to breathe and during hot days it has become even worse,” she added.
Another vendor said that he did not sell any goods for three days last week. He also lamented that the state government has not kept its promise that all street vendors in Shillong will be shifted from streetsides to proper designated areas rather than the co-opted spaces like the parking lot.
“If the state government is not yet able to identify the place to shift the hawkers from other parts of the city it should not have been in a hurry to relocate us doing our business in Khyndailad,” he said.
The government promised the hawkers who were moved Rs 20,000 in financial aid – Rs 10,000 up front and Rs 2,000 per month for five months. This amount, however, is not enough given the current state of inflation, the hawker said.
