Chandigarh, March 11 — Anticipating legal opposition from traders at the Sector 26 vegetable market, the UT Mandi Board has filed a caveat in the Punjab and Haryana High Court regarding the ongoing e-auction of 23 shops in the new grain market at Sector 39.
A senior Mandi Board official confirmed the move, stating, “The caveat has been filed to ensure the auction process proceeds smoothly.” The UT administration initiated the auction on March 3 as part of its long-pending plan to relocate the Sector 26 grain market.
For the first time, the auction is open to the general public, a decision opposed by traders in Sector 26. Bidders must upload their documents on https://eauction.gov.in/eauction/#/ by March 24, with the auction scheduled from March 28 to March 31. Each 120-square-yard shop has a reserve price of ₹3.70 crore and will be allotted on a 99-year leasehold basis, unlike previous freehold sales.
Brij Mohan, president of the Sector 26 Sabzi Mandi Arhtiya Association, questioned the process. “Traders from Sector 26 should be given preference. We will meet with the UT administrator and decide our next course of action. How can the administration proceed without notifying the approval plan?” he asked.
In January, UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria approved the auction of 46 out of 92 fruit and vegetable shops, with the agriculture marketing board opting to auction 23 shops first. The remaining will be auctioned later, depending on the response.
The Sector 39 grain market, proposed in 2002 to ease congestion in Sector 26, has faced multiple failed attempts to auction its shops. Once the Sector 39 shops are allotted, the Sector 26 market will be de-notified in phases, marking the end of one of Chandigarh’s oldest wholesale markets.
