SHILLONG: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) has defended its decision not to grant a trading licence to quick-commerce platform Blinkit, stating that allowing the company to operate could affect the livelihood of thousands of local grocery shop owners.
Chief Executive Member (CEM) Winston Tony Lyngdoh said the Executive Committee (EC) remains firm on the issue. While Blinkit is understood to have obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Dorbar Shnong and Rangbah Shnong of Nongrim Hills, he said the company’s application has not yet reached his office.”If Blinkit comes with a business model that threatens the livelihood of our indigenous people, the Executive Committee will not issue a trading licence,” Lyngdoh said.
App-based quick-commerce services that offer steep discounts and doorstep delivery could adversely affect more than 4,000 grocery shops operating within the KHADC’s jurisdiction, these businesses support thousands of families and provide employment to local youth ,he said.
Lyngdoh also pointed out that the council had earlier declined to issue licences to similar businesses, including Instamart and other home-delivery platforms, on the same grounds. Clarifying the council’s decision to approve a trading licence for Alaya Cafe & Bar at the same premises in Lumsohphoh, Nongthymmai, where Blinkit had earlier operated, Lyngdoh said the approval followed objections raised by local grocery associations over the impact of quick-commerce services on indigenous traders. He said Alaya Cafe & Bar is a genuine local enterprise formed through a partnership between businessman Manish Agarwal and a Khasi woman from Laitumkhrah. He added that Agarwal’s family has been residing in Meghalaya for many years and has operated a hardware business in the state for more than two decades. The application, he said, was approved only after all required documents and local clearances were verified.Referring to an April 2025 notification, Lyngdoh said Dorbar Shnongs had been instructed not to issue No Objection Certificates indiscriminately to non-locals in sectors where indigenous residents are capable of running such businesses.
Responding to criticism from Shella MDC Barikupar Synrem, the CEM rejected allegations that the present Executive Committee was issuing trading licences indiscriminately. He cited official figures showing that previous KHADC administrations issued more than 200 trading licences each year during 2021-22 and 2022-23. In comparison, the current Executive Committee approved 99 licences in its first year and around 30 so far this year, many of which were granted to contractors engaged in government projects.The CEM reiterated that safeguarding local businesses and protecting employment opportunities for indigenous people would remain the council’s primary concern while processing trading licence applications.