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10 years on, Karnal’s agro mall turned into export house
Union home minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the export house on February 14; built on 2.02 lakh sq-ft, the Karnal agro mall has 86 shops on the ground floor and 46 offices on the top floor.
Finding no buyers for its two agro malls in the open auction, the state government has decided to develop Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board (HSAMB)’s Karnal agro-mall into an export hub of the Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited (Hafed).
Built on 2.02 lakh sq-ft, the Karnal agro mall has 86 shops on the ground floor and 46 offices on the top floor.
After a gap of almost 10 years, the agro-mall is to be opened after its inauguration by the Union home minister Amit Shah on February 14. The mall will give a platform to the people to buy all Hafed products at one place. It will also house the offices and establishments involved in rice business and export of foodgrains.
Hafed chairperson Kailash Bhagat said that the cooperative has taken the agro mall from the state agriculture marketing board to develop it as an export house.
He said the government, with the help of Hafed, will prepare a detailed plan for the operation of the agro mall and later, this agro mall will be developed into an export house and in the next one year, it will be the busiest shopping mall of the region.
“It has been the endeavour of Hafed to increase the income of the farmers, get fair prices for their crops and provide better products to the common man,” he added.
The agro malls were launched at four places – Rohtak, Karnal, Panchkula, and Panipat – by the previous dispensation led by Congress’ Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in 2013-14 at a cost of ₹200 crore. But the government had failed to use the farmer-specific agro malls as a platform to sell agri products.
In October 2021, the Bharatiya Janata Party-Jannayak Janta Party government had decided to sell the agro-malls, located on prime locations on NH-44 in Karnal and Panipat, and the Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board had invited applications from interested parties for e-auction.
On November 15 last year, three days before the first e-auction on November 18, 2021, farm leader Rakesh Tikait, along with a group of farmers, had visited Karnal’s agro mall and given a warning that farmers will not allow the government to sell agro malls to private players at any cost. Owing to lack of buyers, the e-auction was rescheduled to December 23, 2021. But again, the auction could not be completed due to tepid response. Following this, both the properties have now been put on the cancelled list.
CM visits Karnal
On Wednesday, chief minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar visited Karnal to review the arrangements ahead of Union home minister’s visit. Accompanied by senior officers, the CM visited the Karnal grain market and the agro mall and issued instructions to officials. The CM’s visit, however, cost dear to the tea vendors and dhaba owners in Karnal grain market as authorities removed their temporary sheds for smooth landing of the CM’s helicopter at the grain market.
The tea vendors and dhaba owners accused the authorities of removing their temporary sheds without any prior notices. On being contacted Karnal deputy commissioner Anish Yadav said that the illegally set up structures were removed for security point of view as the high wind released from the blades of helicopter could have damaged these structures.
