20 years on, Chandigarh sets the ball rolling for shift of Sector 26 grain market

For the past year, the Chandigarh administration has been attempting to auction 92 shops at the new grain market, but progress has been slow

After two decades of delays regarding the plan to relocate the Sector 26 grain market to Sector 39, the project is finally back on track, with the UT administration deciding to auction 92 shops within a month.

The Sector 39 grain market in Chandigarh was planned in 2002 to decongest the Sector 26 grain market, which had no room for further expansion. (HT Photo)

For the first time, the UT administration has decided to open the auction to the public. Previously, only licence holders from the Sector 26 market were eligible to participate. The shops will be allotted on a leasehold basis for 99 years, rather than freehold. The reserve price for each 120-square-yard shop has been set at ₹5 crore.

A senior UT administration officer stated, “We are hopeful of auctioning the shops soon, as our presentation is ready, and we only need to present it to the UT adviser before proceeding. Also, the auction will be open to all, and the shops will be allotted on a leasehold basis for 99 years.”

Regarding the Kajauli waterworks pipelines passing beneath the Sector 39 site, the officer said, “Since relocating the water pipes is not easy, we have decided to develop a green cover over the affected area.”

The pipelines laid in 1980 are connected to the city’s entire water supply network.

Sec 39 grain market planned in 2002

The Sector 39 grain market was planned in 2002 to decongest the Sector 26 grain market, which had no room for further expansion.

For the past year, the UT administration has been attempting to auction 92 shops at the new grain market, but progress has been slow.

When contacted, Sector 26 Sabzi Mandi Arhtiya Association president Brij Mohan said, “The terms and conditions of the UT administration for auctioning shops to all on a leasehold basis are unacceptable to us. The reserve price is also too high, especially since the UT administration acquired around 78 acres in Sector 39 for ₹2 crore in 1990. For the last two decades, the administration has failed to allot the shops. We’ve held around 50 meetings with the officers concerned, but they have not come up with a proper solution.”

He added that the UT administration should allot the sites according to the Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board (Sale and Transfer of Plots) Rules, 1961.

Once the shops at the Sector 39 market are allotted, the de-notification of the Sector 26 market will occur in phases.

Timeline

1990: Administration acquires 78 acres in Sector 39 at a cost of ₹2 crore.

2002: Land is earmarked in Sector 39 for the grain market.

2014: Construction of the Sector 39 grain market begins.

2015: Construction work stops due to a lack of funds.

August 2015: Punjab and Haryana high court orders the administration to operationalise the market. The administration assures the court that the market will be functional by March 31, 2016, but the matter remains unresolved for seven years.

August 2023: UT administration discovers the Kajauli waterworks pipeline beneath the site.

September 2024: UT decides to cover the area of the water pipes with a green cover and open the auction to all at a reserve price of ₹5 crore per shop.