Shillong, August 8: Street vendors operating along the footpath at Jail Road, Shillong, on Saturday continued their business despite the presence of Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) officials and police personnel who were deployed to prevent vendors from occupying the pedestrian pathway.
The vendors remained at the site from around 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM, refusing to move from the footpath where they have been conducting their daily businesses.
Municipal officials, accompanied by police personnel, were seen stationed at the vending area to prevent the vendors from continuing their activities along the pedestrian pathway.
Speaking to the media, Ibandarishisha Bani, a fish vendor who has been operating along the Jail Road footpath for around 12 years, said that only 23 vendors currently possess a Certificate of Vending (CoV), while another 21 vendors have yet to receive the certificate from the Municipal Board.
She said the vendors want the Government to provide them with a designated vending area in the Jail Road locality itself, rather than relocating them to Polo or another location.
Some of the vendors also alleged that Shane Thabah and Angela Rngad were behind efforts to remove them from the Jail Road footpath. They claimed that the two had stopped showing interest in the vendors after forming their own street vendors’ organisation, the Hynñiewtrep Jail Road Street Vendors Association (HJRSVA).
The vendors maintained that they would continue to sell their goods at Jail Road even if Municipal officials and police attempted to prevent them from conducting their business there.
They questioned the feasibility of relocating them to Polo, saying the available space there was limited and pointing out that around half of the street vendors operating at Jail Road still do not have a Certificate of Vending.
The vendors have urged the authorities to address their concerns through dialogue and provide a proper vending space in the Jail Road area instead of forcing them to relocate.
