India News | Meghalaya HC Allows Slight Modifications in Vending Hours of Hawkers of Shillong

Shillong, Jul 16 (PTI) The Meghalaya High Court on Wednesday made some modifications in the vending hours earlier imposed on street vendors in Khyndailad area of Shillong.

The high court, on July 3, hearing a plea filed by Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association, had restricted vending hours from 12:30 pm to 2 pm and 7:30 pm to 9 pm.

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However, in its latest order on Wednesday, the Bench of Chief Justice IP Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh allowed a slight modification, granting vendors an additional 30 minutes for setting up and 15 minutes for packing up during each vending session.

Advocate P Yobin, representing the association, argued that the narrow vending windows left vendors with inadequate time for actual business, considering the time needed for setting up and dismantling their shops.

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Countering the plea, the Advocate General submitted that the application was influenced by "vested interests" and that the government had already made arrangements to relocate the vendors to designated vending zones by July 22, 2025.

After considering both sides, the court allowed vending setup from 12 noon, with business allowed till 2 pm and pack-up till 2:15 pm. Evening vending was similarly adjusted to allow setup from 7 pm, vending till 9 pm, and pack-up till 9:15 pm.

The court also directed that these extended hours be strictly supervised by the concerned public authorities and the Special Officer, with additional police deployment by the traffic department to manage congestion.

The matter will be heard next on July 28.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)