All 33 booths auctioned off at fish and meat market in Chandigarh’s Sector 41

The Chandigarh MC will finally generate revenue from the market after 14 years

The Chandigarh MC on Wednesday auctioned off all 33 booths at the fish and meat market in Sector 41 on monthly license fee basis for five years. The civic body will finally generate revenue from market after 14 years.

Participants during the auction of booths for the fish and meat market in Chandigarh’s Sector 41 on Wednesday.(Keshav SIngh/HT)

The MC fetched Rs 16.50 lakh as earnest money and will receive licence fee of approximately Rs 5.42 lakh per month against reserve price of Rs 3.88 lakh.

Even when it reduced the monthly rental to Rs 10,000 from Rs 15,000 In a previous auction, there were no takers.

In its previous attempts, the MC used the e-auction method, but didn’t succeed. This time, it conducted an open auction. Reserve price ranged from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per month rental.

The market was specifically constructed as a fish market in 2006 at cost of Rs 5 crore by the UT administration, and handed over to MC in 2009.

But, later on, to attract more retailers to the market, it also allowed meat and poultry products to be sold in the market.

Initially, the MC offered the shops at a price of Rs 60 lakh each. But, after it failed to get buyers, it decided to rent out the shops at Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 per month. But, the response was poor again.