Notice issued to ex-secretary of Sector 26 market committee: Chandigarh admn tells HC

The show-cause notice to the former secretary says despite him getting complaints, these were not put up before the competent authority and the contractor continued to illegally levy charges at the entry points of the Sector 26 grain market in Chandigarh

The Chandigarh administration has told the Punjab and Haryana high court that a show-cause notice has been issued to the former secretary of the Sector-26 market committee over the illegal levy of parking fee at the market’s entry points.

Documents submitted in high court have revealed that since September 2021, as many as 14 complaints were made to authorities on the illegal levy of entry fee at the Sector 26 market, but no action was taken. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Tejdeep Singh Saini, administrator, market committee, Sector 26, told the high court that an FIR had been registered against the contractor and a show-cause notice for reply within 10 days had been issued to Jarnail Singh Mavi, a former secretary of the committee.

Documents submitted in high court have revealed that since September 2021, as many as 14 complaints were made to authorities on the illegal levy of entry fee, but no action was taken.

The show-cause notice to Mavi says despite him getting complaints, these were not put up before the competent authority and the contractor continued to illegally levy charges.

After the court had ordered police to initiate criminal proceedings against the contractor in this regard, on March 19, police had arrested the contractor’s manager and two workers for extortion, cheating and criminal conspiracy.

The court has been hearing a plea from one, Amit Kumar Bansal, a businessman, who had submitted in February that around 30 families were living in the shop-cum flats in the market area and had to pay the parking fee just to bring their vehicles to their residence. Repeated requests to the contractor and complaints to authorities were ignored, it has been alleged.