Shillong: Street vendors on Jail Road are holding their ground. Members of the Hynniewtrep Jail Road Street Vendors Association refuse to vacate the area until the Shillong Municipal Board issues Certificates of Vending to every eligible trader. Right now, 26 vendors hold certificates while 17 others still wait. They rejected an offer to relocate to Polo.
Association president Clariss Jordana Sohtun led a delegation on Monday to meet Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar and SMB CEO P K Boro. Dhar promised a meeting this Wednesday to settle the dispute. Boro, however, offered no guarantees and threatened legal action against the group. Sohtun dismissed the intimidation. "He says we are fortunate that he has not filed cases against us," she said.
The association is also fighting for a seat on the Town Vending Committee. Officials previously denied them entry, citing the group's status as a new organization. Nathaniel Mawrie, secretary of the Voice of the People Party’s youth wing, joined the protest to block forced removals. He worries about the future of the 17 undocumented traders.
Mawrie highlighted the human cost of the standoff. Many vendors are single mothers relying on daily sales to feed their households. He condemned the aggressive tactics used by enforcement officers during a Friday sweep. The association will wait for Wednesday's meeting results before choosing its next move.
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