Shillong, Oct 18: In line with the directives of the Centre, Government of Meghalaya on Wednesday approved the Draft Meghalaya Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme 2023.
Through this, the Government envisages to strike a balance between the need of providing livelihood to street vendors and also the need to ensure issues like law & order, decongestion, safety for pedestrians, etc.
Meghalaya government’s decision is in line with the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, which was passed by Government of India in 2014 and respective state government had been asked to framed rules in order to regulate street vending and to protect the right of vendors.
In order to regulate street vending and to protect the right of vendors, GoI came up with the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 whose rules were to be framed by the State Government. To frame the rules, the Draft Meghalaya Street… pic.twitter.com/GtuIb6E2gn
— Conrad K Sangma (@SangmaConrad) October 18, 2023
Taking to X (formerly twitter) after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma announced that the Draft Meghalaya Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme 2023 was approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday with a few amendments.
The scheme will constitute a Town Vending Committee who will be eligible to identify legal vendors with criteria like —
– Possession of EPIC card, certificate of residence at least 3 years in Meghalaya,
– Should have been vending in a particular spot for 6 months,
– Possess trade license in areas that are outside of the 3 normal areas under the control of the Shillong Municipal Board.
“We plan to initiate a survey of the street vendors and process the applications based on the criteria laid down and will map out Vending and No Vending Zones. We also plan to provision dedicated vending zones and market spaces to the street vendors,” he further informed.
Street Vendors Act 2014
The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 protects the rights of urban street vendors and regulates street vending activities. The Act was passed by the Rajya Sabha and received the President of India’s assent on March 4, 2014. It came into force on May 1, 2014. The Act provides for:
– Protection of livelihoods rights
– Social security of street vendors
– Regulation of urban street vending
– Prohibition of evictions and relocations without compliance with due process
– Recognition of vending as a legal right to livelihood
– Protection of the rights of vendors as workers
The Act defines the broad framework for regulating vendors. State governments are required to notify rules and schemes to detail the specificities under the Act.
Vendors and Hawkers’ scene in Shillong
The Meghalaya & Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association (MGSPHSVA) has been at the forefront fighting for their rights and demanding space to practice their trade in a dignified way. Despite much brainstorming, nothing much has moved in shifting street vendors and hawkers from Police bazaar or Laitumkhrah. Rather, on a daily basis, more and more vendors are setting shops all around the city, thereby seriously narrowing the already tight spaces in the city.
