Jail Road street vendors in Shillong have urged the authorities to allow them to continue trading until suitable alternative vending spaces are allotted, as 19 hawkers without Certificates of Vending (CoVs) resisted eviction for the second consecutive day on Friday, fearing the loss of their livelihood.
The stand-off continued into Friday evening when officials of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB), accompanied by police personnel, arrived at Jail Road to remove the vendors.
The hawkers refused to vacate the area, leading to heated exchanges as municipal personnel allegedly attempted to seize their goods and load them onto an SMB pickup vehicle.
The vendors raised slogans urging their fellow traders not to surrender their wares, while one of them was seen offering free momo to the SMB staff and police personnel during the eviction attempt, while maintaining that the food items should be consumed rather than being thrown away.
The dispute involves 43 hawkers operating along Jail Road, of whom 24 have received CoVs while 19 are yet to obtain the certificates. The affected vendors alleged that the authorities had declined to issue CoVs to the remaining traders on the grounds that they lacked supporting documents.
They alleged that some had produced identity cards and documents bearing their names from the vendors’ association but are yet to receive the certificates.