SMB shifts vendors to designated sites at Barik Point and Dhankheti following High Court order
Shillong, August 17: Meghalaya Cabinet Minister and East Shillong MLA Dr Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh declined to comment on the recent eviction and relocation of street vendors from Laitumkhrah.
When approached by reporters, Lyngdoh did not respond to questions or elaborate on her position regarding the action taken against the vendors.
The Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) removed street vendors from various stretches of Laitumkhrah in compliance with an order of the Meghalaya High Court and relocated them to designated vending sites at Barik Point and Dhankheti.
The relocation was aimed at enabling vendors to continue their livelihoods while clearing pedestrian pathways and reducing obstruction to vehicular movement.
Municipal officials conducting the drive were accompanied by representatives of the Dorbar Shnong Laitumkhrah, Seng Longkmie and Seng Samla Shnong.
The exercise was undertaken to regulate street vending, clear footpaths and ease congestion in the busy locality. However, it has also triggered concerns over the livelihoods of the affected vendors and whether the designated sites can provide sufficient footfall and commercial viability.
Lyngdoh had previously supported the relocation of street vendors to designated areas and expressed an aspiration to develop Laitumkhrah along the lines of Khyndai Lad. She offered no comment on the latest relocation exercise.
Laitumkhrah Clears Up After Vendor Relocation, Vacated Spaces Turn Into Parking Areas
Shillong, August 17: Laitumkhrah has become visibly less congested following the removal of street vendors who had been operating along roadsides and occupying pedestrian footpaths.
The SMB carried out the relocation in compliance with the Meghalaya High Court order, shifting vendors to designated sites at Barik Point and Dhankheti.
Following the drive, several stretches that were previously congested have become more accessible to pedestrians. However, some of the spaces vacated by vendors have reportedly begun to be used as parking areas.
The development has raised questions over whether the exercise will ultimately keep roads and footpaths free from obstruction or simply replace one form of obstruction with another.
Residents have urged the authorities to enforce parking regulations strictly and ensure that the newly cleared footpaths remain accessible to pedestrians rather than being occupied by vehicles or other obstructions.
The relocation has therefore opened a new challenge for the authorities: ensuring that the spaces cleared of vendors remain genuinely pedestrian-friendly and do not become informal parking zones.
