Shillong street vending reform relocates vendors to designated zones, with mixed on-ground impact

Shillong’s street vendors are facing a major change as the Meghalaya government implements a street vending reform under the Meghalaya Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme, 2023. The plan moves vendors operating on roadsides into designated vending zones, aiming to make city spaces more organised while bringing roadside trade under a regulated system.

In the latest phase, vendors in Polo, Jail Road, Secretariat Hills and IGP Junction areas are being relocated. Vendors from Jail Road have been shifted to a vending zone opposite the State Bank of India (SBI). Vendors from Polo have been relocated to a vending zone near Matri Mandir. The Urban Affairs Department said the relocation follows months of consultations through the Town Vending Committee and is being carried out in accordance with the law while considering vendors’ livelihoods and concerns.

Assistance announced, but some vendors say payments are unclear

To support eligible vendors, the government has announced relocation assistance of ₹20,000 for those with valid Certificates of Vending (CoV). The assistance includes an upfront amount of ₹10,000 and monthly support of ₹2,000 for five months. However, vendors on the ground described uneven experiences, with some saying they were not aware of the assistance or that they had not received any payment so far. This has led to questions about how clearly information about the scheme reached the people it is meant to benefit.

Some vendors reported improvements after relocation. They said designated sites offer basic facilities such as toilets, which were not available at their earlier locations. Vendors also pointed to a cleaner and more organised environment for conducting daily business.

Lower footfall, customer shifts, and stall allotment concerns

Despite these improvements, several vendors said their incomes have dropped since they moved. Some described a slow start at new locations and said it would take time for customers to adjust to the new sites. Vendors also said they had built customer relationships at their previous spots and fear those customers may not follow them.

For a section of vendors, the problem goes beyond sales. Some alleged that stalls were not allotted to them despite holding required documents. One vendor claimed he was not given a stall because his Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) is registered in Bihar, even though he has documents such as Aadhaar and PAN. Another vendor said he attended to a family medical situation during verification and later submitted an application more than three months ago without a response.

Not all vendors are willing to relocate. Vendors at Jail Road said they plan to continue at their current location, arguing that moving to Polo could reduce earnings because there are already many vendors selling similar products there.