Guwahati: The Meghalaya High Court has directed the State Government to submit a detailed report on the actions taken under the Meghalaya State Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme, 2023.
The directive follows two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) addressing issues such as identifying and relocating street vending areas, regulating traffic, allocating parking spaces, and ensuring clear roadways to facilitate smooth vehicle movement in Shillong.
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A division bench comprising Chief Justice I.P. Mukerji and Justice W. Diengdoh has scheduled the next hearing for July 3, 2025.
The State Government is required to file an affidavit by July 1, 2025, detailing the actions taken in accordance with the court’s previous orders and the 2023 street vending scheme.
The affidavit should also address the concerns raised by the petitioners in their recent submissions.
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Advocates T. Dkhar and N. Syngkon represented the petitioners, while Government Advocate K. P. Bhattacharjee represented the respondents.
The petitioners have highlighted ongoing issues related to illegal occupation of road space and footpaths by street vendors.
The Court observed that although the government has taken steps for registering authorized vendors, identifying and allocating vending zones with a plan to erect several hundred stalls, and adopting the policy to relocate these vendors to those vending zones, it has not implemented the scheme, christened Meghalaya State Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme, 2023.
As a result, the problem of illegal occupation of road space and footpaths and congestion continues. This poses a special danger to school-going students, who are unable to use the footpath and must walk on the road, exposing themselves to traffic accidents, the court further observed.
The Court noted the Government Counsel’s submission that the government is keen to implement the above policy and scheme expeditiously. Therefore, the Court granted them a chance to carry out the order and the commitments expressed in its report.
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