Meghalaya: KHADC to begin vendors’ registration process on Monday

Shillong: After the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council’s (KHADC) firm stand on continuing with the registration of local vendors, the council has now announced that the process of registration will begin on November 11 (Monday).

The council announced that it has set up two rules concerning the ban on hawking. Non-tribals are to have a vending licence issued by the council, and tribal vendors are to register themselves with the council.

While briefing the media, KHADC executive member in-charge of trade department, Paul Lyngdoh said, “The process to register will begin on Monday and advise those who don’t have the form to come and collect them. Non-tribal vendors are to collect the form from trade department and tribal vendors are to take it from the enforcement wing of the trade department. Concerning these forms, we will give time to everyone to have all documents prepared and required to enclose with the form till November 30, 2019. They will have to submit the completed application by then and we will not entertain any applications after the last date.”

Lyngdoh added, “We would like to remind that there will be some parameters that will guide the council in issuing this vending licence and to approve these applications. Firstly, the hawking type should not obstruct footpath or create problems for pedestrians, secondly it should not be unhygienic and conform to health standards and third, it should be a legal trade. Based on these parameters we will asses the applications and they will be assessed on a first-come-first-serve basis.”

The role of this form in this first phase will be carried out over Shillong. Areas that fall under the Shillong municipality areas including localities like Mawlai, Nongthymmai and Pynthor Umkhrah. This will include west, east, north and south constituencies in Shillong.

“The form for the tribal in itself is self-contained the declaration in that form. We want to ensure that movement of pedestrians and also to the motorists. There will be a rearrangement of the hawkers setting up their shops. In the form there is a provision where they have to declare which goods belong to them,” said Lyngdoh.

Due to allotment of space, there will be a probability of some vendors to be left out also basis on the first-come-first-serve basis.

Lyngdoh said, “We will be as considerate as possible but we will see that the interest of hawkers should not interfere with the interest of pedestrians and vice versa. European ward cantonment areas and jail road these are deemed as normal areas so they are left out. The council will also work out with food inspectors and sanitary inspectors. The committee is still in the process of identifying a hawking zone.”