Shillong, July 31: Adviser to Social Welfare department Paul Lyngdoh has termed the relocation of street vendors from Khyndailad a model of “wholesome urban development” that provided alternatives instead of eviction.
“I was instrumental in getting the entire Khyndai Lad stretch vacated,” Lyngdoh told reporters on Thursday.
Asserting that the exercise is not an eviction, he said, “This is the only part of wholesome urban development where we do not throw people away, but we constructed alternative spaces for them.”
Lyngdoh said the new vending spaces are equipped with basic amenities.
‘Anti-drugs sleuths to detain 10 persons’
Meanwhile, Lyngdoh said the state government has intensified its drive against drug trafficking and going to detain 10 persons involved in the illegal trade very soon.
On the sidelines of the anti-drugs awareness programme “Pulse of the Hills, Every Beat Against Drugs” in Shillong, Lyngdoh said, “Raids have now started in areas where they were never conducted in the past… the department is preparing a list of 10 fresh detainees who will be detained under PIT NDPS…”
He added that the process should be completed in about two months.
Lyngdoh also informed that detention in some old cases has already been extended by one more year.
On new infrastructure to check narcotics inflow, Lyngdoh said the government has operationalised a K-9 Unit with a dedicated Dog Squad.
The department is also setting up an administrative building at Rattacherra, which he described as the key entry point from Assam and Manipur into Meghalaya.
He noted that Meghalaya faces heightened pressure due to its proximity to the Golden Triangle, and said the government was combining stricter policing with awareness drives under the DREAM Mission to steer youth away from drugs.
