Shillong: Open narcotics use and mounting crime are strangling business in Shillong. The Lum Survey and Ajmera areas along GS Road have become magnets for drug users. Families and shoppers now avoid the district after dark. Local traders say evening footfall has vanished. Profits are drying up fast.
Vendors and shopkeepers work in fear of retaliation. Many refuse to speak on the record. They watch children as young as 13 inject drugs in broad daylight. “People are scared to come here in the evening. Earlier, families and shoppers would walk around this area, but now many avoid it because of the drug users. It is affecting our business,” one shopkeeper said.
Petty theft is routine. Thieves snatch phones and hand them off to runners in seconds. Traders wake up to sidewalks littered with used syringes. They face constant health risks and potential needle-stick injuries. Enforcement feels absent. Police presence has not stopped the cycle. Witnesses claim suspects hauled away by officers are often back on the street within hours.
Frustration is boiling over. One vendor tried to hold a thief accountable, but police discouraged the intervention. Now, most stay silent to protect themselves. The area’s reputation as a safe hub for visitors is shattered. Without a change in strategy, businesses fear the status quo will remain an open threat to everyone in the city center.
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