Night Food Street in a spot

Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 25

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The local Municipal Corporation has decided not to extend the contract of four kiosks at the Night Food Street near the PGI after finding major violations of the terms and conditions.

Sources said a committee of MC officials inspected all four kiosks at the Night Food Street yesterday and found the actual allottees missing at the kiosks.

According to the terms and conditions, only the original allottees can run the kiosks. However, the committee found that they had sublet the kiosks.

The sources said the report of the inspection committee was placed before members of the Finance and Contract Committee at its meeting held here today in which it was decided not to extend the contract of the kiosks in view of the violations.

The members decided to form a committee of officers to work out fresh terms and conditions to run these smoothly and table these at the next meeting for approval.

The kiosks were leased out through a draw of lots and the monthly rent of each kiosk was Rs 50,000 for three years.

Their contract is ending next week, but the owners had offered to continue for two more years with a 10 per cent hike in the rent. The committee, at an earlier meeting, had approved to extend their contract for two years, beginning March 1, but the MC   received  complaints  regarding subletting  of the kiosks. It then formed a committee,  which  inspected   the  kiosks yesterday.

In 2008, the Night Food Street was launched to promote nightlife in the city and to provide eatables to students of Panjab University and attendants of patients at the PGI at reasonable prices, but the kiosk owners were  involved  in controversies   for  high charges and other violations.

In 2010, the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued notices to the MC and the UT Administration over the high rates at the Night Food Street  after  which the MC took some measures.