Shillong, Dec 6: The state government has assured street hawkers, worried by their proposed relocation from certain locations of the city, of providing a good place to carry out their business.
“We will try to locate a good place for them. So be patient and be with the government,” said deputy chief minister in-charge Urban Affairs Sniawbhalang Dhar after meeting a delegation of hawkers on Thursday.
Referring to the hawkers’ request for good space for hawking, the minister said, “They may not get exactly what they want… but I think we will be able to get a good place (for them).”
“We are identifying a few more places, so we will decide in a joint meeting with our officers and them,” Dhar added.
According to the minister, over 600 registered hawkers will be rehabilitated in the first phase.
Meanwhile, he denied any instance of hawkers rejecting 3-4 places identified by the government as hawking zones.
He also justified the government move, saying, “If somebody comes and sits along the road and the footpath, we have to regulate in a proper manner so that there is no disturbance for the people who walk in the footpaths or crowded areas.”