Shillong shifts Polo and Jail Road vendors to designated vending zones
Meghalaya’s Urban Affairs Department, with district administration, has relocated street vendors from Polo and Jail Road to designated vending zones under the
Street vendors in Shillong are being moved out of the Polo and Jail Road areas to designated vending zones, as part of the Meghalaya Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme, 2023. The relocation is being carried out by the Meghalaya Urban Affairs Department together with the East Khasi Hills district administration.
Polo stalls and a zone near SBI for shifted vendors
Vendors who were earlier operating along Jail Road, from the OB Shopping Mall to the petrol pump at the MTC Complex, have been shifted to the designated vending zone at the parking lot opposite the State Bank of India (SBI). In Polo, vendors are being moved to a vending zone near Matri Mandir. The Polo zone has capacity for 132 stalls, with 70 currently occupied. The SBI parking lot zone has capacity for 79 stalls, with nine currently occupied, while the relocation process continues.
The Urban Affairs Department said relocation started after consultations and coordination with stakeholders. It mentioned that 22 vendors were scheduled to shift from Secretariat Hills and IGP Junction to the SBI parking lot vending zone on July 29. In Polo, the Town Vending Committee held 29 formal meetings with vendor associations and other stakeholders before the relocation was implemented.
Relocation support for vendors with valid vending certificates
According to the department, vendors relocated to the designated spaces without the need for strict enforcement. To support the transition, the Meghalaya government announced the Chief Minister’s Urban Livelihood Grant. Under the grant, vendors with a valid Certificate of Vending (CoV) are set to receive relocation assistance of ₹20,000, including an upfront payment of ₹10,000 and a monthly allowance of ₹2,000 for five months.
The department said a total of 65 CoVs have been issued for the SBI parking lot zone, while 106 CoVs have been issued for the Polo zone near Matri Mandir. It also stated that the next relocation phase will begin in Laitumkhrah on August 17, with the aim of accommodating all eligible and registered vendors within the Shillong Municipal area in designated vending spaces by the end of September. After the relocation is completed, notified no-vending zones will be enforced.
The move is expected to reduce congestion and improve pedestrian movement in the affected areas, helping create a more organised urban environment in Shillong.
