Finally, AC fish market becomes general market

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 18

Miserably failing to run the city’s first AC Fish and Meat Market in Sector 41, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has finally decided to change it from fish market to general trade market.

The decision was taken in the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) of the Municipal Corporation today, which was held under the chairmanship of Mayor Arun Sood. Earlier on four occasions — in 2010, 2011 and January and April 2015 — the auction of booths at the market had been a flop show.

But in July 2015, the MC had managed to auction these booths after they reduced the reserve price of the booths by 30 to 40 per cent. A total of 20 booths and one chill room were put up for auction in July last year. There were no takers for the chill room. The booths were auctioned for a period of five years with an annual hike of 5 per cent in the rent.

But after the auction, all the allottees had surrendered their booths demanding change in terms and conditions. Since then the MC has failed to allot these booths in the fish market. The market was built by the UT Administration at a cost of Rs 1 crore and handed over to the Municipal Corporation in 2009.