Street vendors demands rights to livelihoods

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 18, 2020

The state government is proposing to come up with a permanent solution to address the problems faced by hawkers and street vendors in the state.

“We have asked the chief secretary to find out a permanent solution to address the issue related to hawkers and street vendors,” Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters after meeting a delegation on Wednesday.

The delegation comprises of the Meghalaya & Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association, Workers’ Power and Thma U Rangli Juki (TUR) has requested the government’s intervention into the impact on the livelihood of hawkers and street vendors due to  COVID-19 pandemic.

“They have requested the government to allow them to restart their livelihood activities and I have assured them to take up the matter,” he said.

Tynsong said the chief secretary has been asked to convene a meeting with the urban affairs department and other departments to examine the demand and submit a report to the government.

Asked, the deputy chief minister said, “We need to have a dedicated place for hawkers and vendors for their livelihood activities.”

He however said that the government has agreed to the suggestion of the KHADC and Hima Mylliem that hawking and vending activities will not be allowed at Iewduh market in view of the prevailing situation. “The CS will however hold consultations for such activities outside Iewduh market,” he said.

The delegation in a memorandum said that the problem with hawking and street vending in the state has been the non implementation of the Central Street Vending Act which would have ensured that they would have got licenses and vending spaces.

“This would have ensured that in this period of Unlockdown, there could be peoper self regulation to ensure physical distancing, sanitisation, and mask wearing. Moreover, our surveys have shown that although government had announced cash support to the workers of unorganised sector, many of us haven’t received this support. As you know, our economic lives are precarious and we also cannot access MGNREGS as we are urban based workers,” it said.

The delegation has requested the government to immediately notify the Central Act on Street vending

“Ensure that while allowing us to open our shops with regulations, in the interim the government licenses us while surveying the street vendors and hawkers in consultation with the association and then issuing us with licenses and and giving us vending spaces,” they said.

They also urged the government to proactively release the pending cash support.