Shillong: Meghalaya High Court has appointed senior advocate Subhasis Chakrawarty as “Special Officer” to oversee the implementation of hawker rehabilitation measures in Shillong’s police bazar area, now declared a no-vending zone.
This decision came during the hearing of three separate Public Interest Litigations (PILs) related to the matter.
Chief Justice IP Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh issued the order on July 3, 2025, after hearing complaints from the Hawkers’ Association that local and police authorities were forcibly removing vendors from the police bazar area without providing alternative vending spaces.
During the proceedings, Phuyosa Yobin, legal counsel for the Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association, alleged that local and police authorities are forcibly evicting hawkers from the Police Bazar area, a central location in Shillong, without following due process.
Yobin claimed that these eviction drives are being conducted without providing alternative vending spaces.
Advocate General Amit Kumar and the state counsel team denied these allegations. They asserted that an alternative vending area has been allocated for the hawkers, but the vendors are refusing to relocate from Police Bazar. Kumar informed the bench that all licensed vendors could be accommodated in the new vending area in a short period.
The special officer will have to submit a report before the next hearing in early August.
The state has offered a Rs 10,000 shifting allowance (Rs 2,000/month for 5 months) to registered hawkers relocating to designated zones.
Deputy CMs Prestone Tynsong and Sniawbhalang Dhar emphasised that the move follows the 2014 Street Vendors Act and aims for a cleaner and organised city.
The Court has directed the local and police authorities, under the supervision of the newly appointed Special Officer and in consultation with the general secretary of the Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association, to prepare a list of authorized or licensed vendors, who are stated to be around 349.
The court has allowed approximately 349 licensed vendors to continue operating in their current locations for limited hours – from 12:30 pm to 2 pm and 7:30 pm to 9 pm daily.
This arrangement comes with strict conditions that vendors must not exceed these time limits and must vacate the area to ensure smooth traffic flow and pedestrian movement.
The general secretary of the Hawkers’ Association has given an undertaking to the court that licensed vendors will comply with these restrictions.
The court warned that any breach would result in a complete ban on vending activities in the area.
The special officer will identify unlicensed vendors operating in the police bazaar area. These vendors will be prohibited from selling goods in the location.
However, the court provided relief for unlicensed hawkers by allowing them to apply for valid licenses through the appropriate authorities.
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The Court also stated that the general secretary of the association must ensure that, as and when the alternative vending place is provided by the authority to any vendor, the street hawkers and vendors must immediately shift.
