Shillong : Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of Urban Affairs Sniawbhalang Dhar has appealed to hawkers protesting their relocation from Jail Road to cooperate with the government, assuring them that the new vending zones will be promoted to help their businesses grow.

Dhar said on Wednesday that footpaths are meant for pedestrians and cannot be used for vending or sleeping, stressing that the government must clear encroachments to ensure orderly movement and maintain Shillong’s cleanliness and appearance.

He acknowledged that relocating hawkers could initially affect their livelihoods but expressed confidence that business would gradually improve at the new locations.

“We are trying to shift them to get a better place because there are some who still do not want to shift. In the beginning, it may affect their livelihood but slowly it will be fine,” he said.

Dhar said the government wanted hawkers to earn a living from better-organised markets and appealed to them to cooperate with the relocation process. He also referred to the High Court’s emphasis on keeping the city clean.

The Deputy Chief Minister assured that the government would actively promote the new vending zones, citing the relocation of hawkers from Khyndailad to the MUDA market as an example. He said he had personally visited the market to inform people about the new vending area.

He also pointed to the Chief Minister’s distribution of cheques to hawkers in Barik as evidence of the government’s support for their livelihoods.

On the pending Certificates of Vending (CoV), Dhar said the process was ongoing and that officials were preparing to issue certificates to eligible applicants in accordance with established norms and guidelines.

He clarified that certificates would not automatically be issued to everyone, as applicants must meet the prescribed criteria, but said the department would accommodate as many eligible vendors as possible