Shillong, Oct 21: The Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) has banned all street vending along GS Road, Motphran and Ïewmawlong, declaring the stretch a ‘No Vending Zone’ with immediate effect, even as hawkers termed the order illegal and demanded its withdrawal.
In a notice dated October 16, the Chairperson of the Town Vending Committee and CEO, SMB, directed vendors holding Certificate of Vending to shift to the ground floor of Ïewmawlong Parking Lot on or before November 25.
The board said the move follows a survey under the Meghalaya Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme, 2023, completed in January 2024 and finalisation of genuine vendors after claims and objections. Citing the May 12, 2026 notification, SMB said the parking lot has been declared as the Vending Zone for the area and allotment of stalls is complete.
“The entire stretch of GS Road, Motphran and Ïewmawlong has been declared as ‘No Vending Zone’ with immediate effect in the interest of free flow of vehicular and pedestrian movement,” the notice said, warning that goods kept or sold in the zone after deadline will be removed.
Reacting sharply, hawkers convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday
Member of TUR (Thma U Rangli-Juki), Angela Rangad, said that the notice is illegal and only a forced order by only a few individuals in the government.
“The hawkers have decided to demand from the government that it should withdraw this notice immediately,” she said, adding that a week’s time has been given to the authorities to repeal the order.
Rangad said that, according to the notice served by the SMB, this was a decision made by the provisional Town Vending Committee (PTVC), adding that some of the vendors who are members of the committee know what was discussed in the meeting for those who do vending in places from GS Road and the adjoining places.
The PTVC is responsible for identifying vending zones, conducting surveys and issuing certificates of vending.
“We as members of the PTVC have not accepted the proposal of the government to relocate these vendors to a parking lot in Iew Mawlong,” she said.
According to her, the vendors who are in the PTVC do not arbitrarily make any decisions but take the consensus of all the hawkers who may be affected by the move of the authorities.
Rangad added that the present areas from which the SMB wants to relocate the hawkers are “natural and heritage markets”, like Ïewduh and Ïewmawlong.
“The law says that in such natural and heritage markets the hawkers are not supposed to be relocated,” Rangad said, adding that localities were set up in and around these places after the markets came up.
She said that despite such policies, the hawkers have been cooperating with the authorities over the years with an aim to decongest the city, but it should be in the benefit of everyone.
“But in this process these hawkers have been exploited,” Rangad added.
She alleged that the aim of the government to relocate the vendors from GS Road, Motphran and adjoining areas to the Ïewmawlong parking Lot is only to hide them away from the world.
She pointed out that the street vendors had earlier made a proposal of a place in Punjabi Lane, to the government.
“Speak to the authorities of the Cantonment Board, construct a godown for them, housing and market for the hawkers, so that the place looks clean and not like what it is now,” Rangad stated.
According to her, another place proposed in Lum Survey, which is den of illegal activities presently, for those from GS Road and for hawkers in Ïewmawlong a place proposed by them was a Syndicate Bus Stop.
