Inspection by Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) officials on Thursday left several tea, snack and fruit vendors in Khyndailad devastated after their goods were reportedly seized, forcing them to lose an entire day’s earnings. Many women vendors, visibly distressed, said their perishable items were spoiled and pleaded with the authorities for compassion, stressing that vending is their only source of livelihood.
The matter quickly drew the attention of VPP MLA Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, who visited the spot and strongly condemned the action. In an interview at the site, he said, “We feel that this is too much, because they are not disturbing anyone since they are mobile vendors. Had it been other vendors, we would not have come. We are here to tell the Municipal authorities that they should not ask them to leave this place. They should allow them to carry out their trade as usual.” The MLA said he has already directed SMB officials to immediately halt the eviction drive.
“We have already instructed the officials from the Municipal that you should stop at once. If you don’t want to confront, then you should stop and convey this message to the government that we are here not to allow this,” Basaiawmoit stated. When asked about the next steps, he said, “What we expect is that the Municipal will stop this exercise and allow these people to carry out their business as usual. Then we will see what the response is.” The vendors now await clarity from SMB, hoping they will be allowed to return to work without further disruption.