Chandigarh: Furniture market traders told to vacate land by June 28

The land acquisition department of the Chandigarh administration said shopkeepers will be responsible for any destruction of material or goods during the demolition, and the department will have no liability.

The land acquisition department of the Chandigarh administration on Saturday issued a notice to shopkeepers at the Sector 53 furniture market to demolish the shops and vacate the government land by June 28.

The illegal market has seen over a dozen fire mishaps since its inception around four decades ago. (HT)

In the notice to shopkeepers, the department said, “The land was actually acquired by the Chandigarh administration in 2002 and is part of village Badheri. Though the shopkeepers had moved the Punjab and Haryana high court for a stay on vacating the land, the court had in September 2023 disposed of all petitions filed by the alleged lessees of the land. Also, the UT administration had given compensation to the landowners, and the shop owners are illegal possessor of the government land. As per the Land Acquisition Act, the shopkeepers are directed to demolish/remove the illegal structure from the government land at their own level and restore the land without any encumbrance by June 28, failing which the shops will be demolished by the department. The expenses of removal/demolition will be recovered from the shopkeepers and legal action as per law will also be initiated against them.”

The department further said shopkeepers will be responsible for any destruction of material or goods during the demolition, and the department will have no liability.

Notably, set up illegally on government land, the furniture market came up around 37 years ago. Ever since, around 120 shops have been set up in the market.

While the UT administration had tried to remove the shops, mostly run by tenants, they got a stay order from the Punjab and Haryana high court in 1993 and there has been no move to shift the market ever since.

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.

Demanding permanent shops, members of the market association have also met BJP leaders from time to time.

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