The Meghalaya High Court has stepped in to closely monitor the ongoing eviction drive against street vendors in Khyndailad (Police Bazar), a bustling commercial hub in Shillong, by appointing senior advocate Subhasis Chakrawarty as a Special Officer to ensure legal compliance and maintain peace during the operation.
The move comes after the Shillong Roadside Hawkers Association filed a public interest litigation (PIL), alleging that authorities were forcibly evicting street vendors without providing alternative vending zones.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice IP Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh, during Thursday’s hearing, instructed the Special Officer to supervise the entire eviction process, prepare a verified list of licensed vendors, and coordinate with both local authorities and the hawkers’ association.
“Above all, the Special Officer, with his vast knowledge, experience, maturity, and tact, shall ensure that our orders in this public interest litigation are implemented without any breach of peace or commission of any offence,” the bench observed.
Pending relocation, the court has granted temporary vending permission to licensed hawkers during restricted hours — from 12:30 pm to 2 pm and 7:30 pm to 9 pm — with a clear directive that no disruption to traffic or pedestrian movement will be tolerated. Unlicensed vendors are barred from operating in the area.
The hawkers’ association submitted an undertaking to shift all vendors to the designated vending zones once allotted by the state. Any vendor found non-compliant with the court’s directives will face immediate eviction.
The bench further clarified that other vendors are free to apply for vending licenses, which must be processed in accordance with law. These applications will be reviewed in subsequent hearings based on official reports.
The state government, as part of its relocation initiative, has earmarked three alternative vending sites and offered a one-time relocation assistance of ₹20,000 to each hawker.
The Special Officer is required to submit a compliance report by August 5, which will be examined in the next hearing.
