The much awaited modern fruit and vegetable market coming up in Phase 11, SAS Nagar, which is running behind schedule, has missed yet another deadline - courtesy non-availability of construction material.
Coming up over 12.34 acres at a cost of Rs 43.34 crore, the modern fruit and vegetable market, which was scheduled to become operational by November 30, is not likely to become operational before February 2013 as the pace of construction is very slow.
In 2005, the Congress government had conceptualised and announced an ultra-modern agro product market complex at a cost of over Rs 100 crore, but the project never took off.
The Akali government then after a gap of six years in 2011 once again announced the modern fruit and vegetable market at the same site and an entirely new design was proposed for the market that is currently under construction.
In June 2012, Punjab mandi board chairman Ajmer Singh Lakhowal after inspecting the construction had announced that the market would become operational by November 30.
Lakhowal had blamed non-availability of construction material for the project running behind schedule.
{{/usCountry}}Lakhowal had blamed non-availability of construction material for the project running behind schedule.
{{/usCountry}}Punjab mandi board secretary Mahinder Singh Kainth, while giving the details of the project on Wednesday, said the upcoming market would have three sections - a wholesale market, air-conditioned retail market and a designated section for holding apni mandi.
The wholesale market would have 34 two-storeyed shops in which the ground floor would have showroom for arthiyas and the first floor would have offices, while the air-conditioned retail market would have 35 shops.