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Sanitation work outsourced at Sector-26 Mandi in Chandigarh: HC asks UT for explanation
The directions were passed by the bench presided over by chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry during resumed hearing of a suo motu petition initiated on July 30 over dis-ordinary fashion in which the vegetable and fruit market is being allowed to be run by Chandigarh administration
The Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday directed the secretary Agricultural Marketing Board of Chandigarh to explain how key sanitation functions at the Sector 26 Mandi have been outsourced.
The directions were passed by the bench presided over by chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry during resumed hearing of a suo motu petition initiated on July 30 over dis-ordinary fashion in which the vegetable and fruit market is being allowed to be run by Chandigarh administration.
Earlier, senior standing counsel, UT, Amit Jhanji had told the court that sanitation work was being handled by the MC Chandigarh from 2019 onwards but subsequently it backed out in 2023 and the committee roped in a private agency. However, a new contractor had to be brought in December 2024 after receiving complaints against the then hired agency.
Jhanji further informed the court that there is no provision of employing sanitation staff in the rules of marketing board and in view of this, one sanitation inspector was appointed through hired agency and the committee plans to appoint one more sanitation inspector for better vigil and maintaining cleanliness.
The court questioned the UT as to how essential posts such as sanitary inspectors could be outsourced and opined that outsourcing for basic municipal-type functions weakens administrative control, since disciplinary action is limited to cancelling contracts and finding new agencies.
The court also underlined that the sanitary inspector’s role is critical and cannot be left entirely to outsourced personnel without statutory backing. Now, the court has sought an affidavit from the secretary, explaining the legal basis for outsourcing the sanitation work.
The Mandi has been operating from here for decades. In 2002, to decongest the Sector-26 market, which had no room for further expansion, a new market was proposed in Sector 39. However, despite multiple attempts over the past years to auction all 92 shops, progress has been slow.
In March this year, the high court dismissed a plea from the traders of Sector-26 market challenging e-auction process for 23 fruit and vegetable shops in Sector 39. However, the order was stayed by the apex court in April.
UT administration began the process of e-auction of 23 shops in Sector 39 from March 3 as part of the long-awaited relocation of the Sector-26 market.
In the exercise, the UT administration auctioned 12 out of 23 shops in Sector 39. The highest bid was ₹3.85 crore against the reserve price of ₹3.70 crore, while the lowest bid was ₹3.75 crore. The UT administration’s agriculture department earned revenue of ₹45 crore from the auction.
