Demand for emergency meeting of Provisional Town Vending Committee
Shillong, July 1: Street vendors and hawkers of Khyndailad on Tuesday staged a protest against an eviction drive conducted by the government and sought an emergency meeting of the Provisional Town Vending Committee (PTVC) to rectify alleged flaws in proposed relocation of the vendors.
The protesters under Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association (MGSPHSVA) gathered in front of the Secretariat and termed illegal and unilateral the eviction drive conducted on Monday.
“The eviction drive was unilateral and illegal, as it targeted vendors who had certificates of vending,” said Angela Rangad, the leader of Thma U Rangli Juki (TUR), which has backed the street vendors in the protest.
PTVC chairperson, who is also the CEO of Shillong Municipal Board (SMB), authorised the eviction drive without following due process, she alleged.
Mentioning that the hawkers had been demanding implementation of Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, she said, “The SMB’s actions were contrary to the law and would create more complications.”
According to the hawkers, need of the hour is to convene an emergency meeting of PTVC is to address the issues.
If law is not implemented properly, it will be more dangerous and bring more complications, they warned.
The hawkers also alleged that the deputy chief minister in-charge of urban affairs did not pay serious attention to the formers’ concerns.
Meanwhile, Rangad alleged that the SMB’s action (eviction drive) was a show to mislead the Meghalaya High Court, which is set to hear a petition in this regard on July 3.
“They want to create a spectacle… they will use this as a response to the petition… I’m certain that the court will not be misled…,” she said.
She warned that the hawkers would continue their protest if their demands are not met.
“You cannot misinterpret the law. That is our stand,” she said.
