Everyone has right to live, earn a decent livehood: Hek on Khyndailad hawkers issue

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 16, 2025

Commenting on the government’s decision to relocate the hawkers and street vendors at Khyndailad area, BJP leader and cabinet minister AL Hek on Tuesday emphasized that ‘everyone has the right to live and to earn a decent livelihood’.

“Everybody has the right to live. They have to know also the position,” Hek told reporters.

Refusing to further comment on the issue, the minister said, “Now, the matter is lying before the court. I will not be able to tell you anything but everybody has the right to live.” 

“Let the court take decision and after that we will talk,” he stated.

Asked if the approach adopted by him as MLA of Pynthorumkhrah in resolving the hawkers issue at Golflink be replicated by government in the case of Khyndailad area, Hek said that along with the dorbar shnong, they were successful in relocating the hawkers at Golflink to a mall free of cost, providing them with a better place to carry out their livelihood activities.

According to him, Golflink is one of the most beautiful localities in Shillong due to the presence of the Golf Course.

The initiative had made Hek to become the first legislator in the state to built a hawkers market in his constituency.

“All these years, right from when I was in primary school, I saw these street vendors were carrying out their livelihood activities in the streets of Golflink area. When we get the opportunity, we have built the hawkers market. If I am not wrong, I am the first among all the politicians who has built the hawkers market which has given free of cost to every individual hawkers. There were 28 of them in the beginning. We relocated them not in ordinary shelter place but in a mall free of cost,” the minister stated.

If he is happy with the approach of the government to address the hawkers issue, Hek however said, “I am not saying they (govt approach) is wrong but at least to give a decent livelihood to all the street vendors within Shillong municipal area.”

Hek also addressed concerns about streetlights in the Golflink area, stating that four high masts have been installed, and efforts are being made to ensure that the entire area is well-lit. However, he acknowledged that some technical issues are still being resolved.

Regarding the delay in completing the beautification project in Polo, Hek said that the project is still ongoing and that workers are actively engaged in the area. He attributed the delay to factors such as the department’s workload and the contractor’s execution of the project .