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Chandigarh admn firm on demolishing furniture market by January-end

By, Chandigarh
Jan 20, 2025 07:50 AM IST

Eviction orders were issued on January 9 to free 15 acres of prized government land in Chandigarh’s Sectors 53 and 54

Having issued eviction orders to shopkeepers on January 9, the UT Estate Office is set to demolish the illegal Sector 53/54 furniture market by the end of this month to reclaim valuable government land.

Established in 1985, the unauthorised furniture market, comprising 116 shops, is illegally occupying approximately 15 acres of agricultural land in Sectors 53 and 54. (Keshav Singh/HT)
Established in 1985, the unauthorised furniture market, comprising 116 shops, is illegally occupying approximately 15 acres of agricultural land in Sectors 53 and 54. (Keshav Singh/HT)

Through the eviction orders, the UT administration had directed the shopkeepers to vacate the encroached land within 15 days, asserting that no alternative site for relocation will be provided. As per the orders, the 15-day period ends on January 24.

Deputy commissioner-cum-UT estate officer Nishant Kumar Yadav confirmed that the demolition drive was planned two weeks from the notice date. “Since the period ends on January 24, the demolition will take place after January 26, most likely on January 28,” he said.

Established in 1985, the unauthorised furniture market, comprising 116 shops, is illegally occupying approximately 15 acres of agricultural land in Sectors 53 and 54.

Even on June 22, 2024, the land acquisition department had issued a notice to the shopkeepers to demolish their structures and vacate the government land within a week. But the shopkeepers had submitted representations to the UT administration, following which the then deputy commissioner, Vinay Pratap Singh, had temporarily halted the demolition drive.

The shopkeepers had requested for an opportunity to buy shops in the upcoming Bulk Material Market in Sector 56 on open auction. They had offered to pay rent of the area encroached upon by them, as assessed by the administration, till the auction is conducted, which the administration has completely rejected.

The June notice had reiterated that the land had been acquired by the Chandigarh administration in 2002 and was part of Badheri village. Despite repeated efforts by the shopkeepers to obtain a stay order from the Punjab and Haryana high court, all petitions were dismissed in September 2023, and the court had upheld the administration’s right to reclaim the land.

‘Trespasser has no legal right to demand alternative site’

According to the January 9 eviction orders, the land on which the petitioners claim to be conducting business was acquired by the administration on February 14, 2002.

A total of 227.22 acres—comprising 114.43 acres in Kajheri village, 69.79 acres in Badheri village, and 43 acres in Palsora village—was acquired for the public purpose of developing the third phase of Sectors 53, 54 and 55 in Chandigarh, and compensation awarded to land owners.

The order further stated that as per a March 2020 Supreme Court judgment, individuals conducting business illegally on government land were considered “trespassers”. As such, a trespasser has no legal right to seek preferential allotment of plots for running a business.

Sanjeev Bhandari, president of the Furniture Market Association, maintained that the shopkeepers had not received any formal intimation from the UT administration.

Major fire hazard on busy inter-city artery

The furniture market, located on a busy artery connecting Chandigarh and Mohali, has been plagued by frequent fire incidents.

As the market is illegal, the municipal corporation has imposed no fire-safety measures. Consequently, the market has seen over a dozen fire mishaps since its inception four decades ago.

The shops operate from temporary structures, with no fire exits, inadequate ventilation and minimal spacing between shops, which store large quantities of furniture and flammable materials like thinners.

Improper vehicle parking in front of the shops remains a constant cause of traffic congestion on the busy stretch.

In the early 1990s, the UT administration had tried to remove the shops, but the traders got a stay order from the Punjab and Haryana high court in 1993 and there was no move to shift the market until June 2024 when UT issued the first eviction notice.

Shopkeepers contend that the administration has failed to shift the market despite several requests, even though the traders are paying around 10 crore GST every year.

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