E-Paper
Plans afoot to shift mandi, Chandigarh Sector 17 traders urge admn to allow shops to open
Want admn to not consider Sector 17 as a shopping complex and allow opening of shops in a staggered manner
With the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) planning to shift the Sector 26 mandi to the inter-state bus terminal (ISBT) in Sector 17 to seal the adjoining containment zones in Sector 26, the traders in Sector 17 have written to the UT finance secretary, AK Sinha, asking him that shops be allowed to open here just like in the rest of the city markets.
President of Business Promotion Council Sector 17, Neeraj Bajaj said, “As per the administration order on Sunday, shopping complexes are not allowed to open. I have urged the administration to reconsider their definition of shopping complexes. Sector 17 has different categories of shops spread over Sector 17 A to E. Shopping complexes encompass shops inside a shopping mall. Maintaining social distancing would be easier in spacious markets of Sector 17 as compared to other markets.
In favour of the plan to shift the mandi in Sector 17 to contain the spread of coronavirus, Bajaj said since the offices in the sector were already open, why should only shopkeepers be left out? “I urge the officials to open the shops in a staggered manner,” he said.
RESIDENT BODIES OPPOSE MOVE
On the other hand, resident bodies are urging the administration to shift the mandis elsewhere. Federation of Sector Welfare Associations Chandigarh (FOSWAC) chairman Baljinder Singh Bittu said, “Sector 17 is the heart of the city. Shifting the mandi here can lead to major spread of the disease. The mandi should be shifted to the periphery of the city.”
Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation (CRAWFED) chairman Hitesh Puri added that it will create chaos and compromise the cleanliness of the site and affect the sectors around it. Both organisations have sent representations to the UT adviser urging him to shift the mandi elsewhere.
TRADERS DEMAND AID FROM UT
Even as congested markets in the city have not been allowed to open, the presidents of these markets have written to the administration asking for financial help. President of Sadar Bazaar in Sector 19, Narinder Singh, said, “We have written to the UT adviser to provide shopkeepers with some form of help as we will be unable to pay wages and will be left with no money for ourselves if we are not allowed to open.”
