Chandigarh: 16 shops at Sector 39 grain market get 34 bids
After two decades of delay, the Chandigarh administration had started the e-auction process on March 3 as part of Sector 26 grain market’s relocation; the auction is being conducted online and for the first time, it has been opened to the general public
As many 34 technical bids have been filed for 16 of the total 23 fruit and vegetable shops at the upcoming grain market in Sector 39. The auction will begin on March 28 and continue till March 31.
After two decades of delay, the UT administration had started the e-auction process on March 3 as part of Sector 26 grain market’s relocation. The auction is being conducted online and for the first time, it has been opened to the general public, a move that drew opposition from traders in Sector 26, leading to a legal dispute.
Each shop, measuring 120 square yards, has a reserve price of ₹3.70 crore. Unlike the previous system, where shops were sold on a freehold basis, these will be allotted on a leasehold basis for 99 years.
In January this year, UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria approved the auction of 46 out of 92 fruit and vegetable shops. The state agriculture marketing board has decided to auction 23 shops first, with the remaining to follow based on the response.
The Sector 39 grain market was planned in 2002 to decongest the Sector 26 grain market, which had no room for further expansion. However, despite multiple attempts over the past year to auction 92 shops, progress has been slow.
Once the shops in Sector 39 are allotted, the Sector 26 grain market will be de-notified in phases, marking the end of an era for one of the city’s oldest wholesale markets.
UT files caveat in top court
After the Punjab and Haryana high court, the UT administration has filed a caveat before the Supreme Court anticipating that the traders of the Sector 26 vegetable market may reach the top court against the ongoing auction process.
A caveat is a caution or warning, giving notice to the court not to issue any grant or take a step without notice being given to the party lodging the caveat.
On March 21, the high court had dismissed a plea from the traders, challenging the e-auction process of 23 fruit and vegetable shops in Sector 39, paving the way for the market’s long-awaited relocation.
After they did not receive any relief from the high court, the Vegetable and Fruit Market Arhtiya Association subsequently announced its plan to file a petition in the Supreme Court to halt the auction process, prompting UT to file a fresh caveat in the apex court.