20 years on, process to shift Sec 26 mandi begins today
Hanging fire for nearly two decades, the process to shift the Sector 26 mandi to Sector 39 is set to begin tomorrow. The State Agriculture Marketing Board will start receiving applications for the first auction of shop-cum-office (SCO) sites in the new facility from Monday.
Applicants can submit their documents from March 3 to 24 and the auction will be held from March 28 to 31. In the first phase, out of the proposed 92 SCO sites, 23 will be auctioned. The existing commission agents have demanded sites on a freehold basis. According to the Board, an allottee will only be able to transfer the site after 15 years from the date of allotment.
The Board has recently constituted an eight-member committee to conduct the auction. The 120 sq yd sites, with a reserve price of Rs 3.70 crore each, will be allotted on a leasehold basis for 99 years. The remaining units will be put up for auction in the second phase, as per the terms and conditions of the Chandigarh Estate Rules, 2007. The Sector 26 mandi operates on 24 acres, whereas the new facility in Sector 39 is spread over 75 acres.
The new location in Sector 39 will help ease traffic congestion on the Vikas Marg and Purva Marg. However, those reaching the new mandi from Delhi and Shimla may face slightly increased travel times. Unlike the existing Mandi in Sector 26, the new facility will have two dedicated cold storages.
A two-acre vending zone will be developed to address the long-standing issue of vendors occupying auction platforms, thereby improving visitor convenience. Advanced technology similar to toll plazas will be installed at the entry and exit points, enabling authorities to monitor the quantity of goods being transported to the market.
A separate garbage processing plant will be established to manage daily waste more efficiently. At present, the waste from the Sector 26 mandi has to be transported to the Municipal Corporation’s processing plant.
A piece of land measuring 75 acres in Sector 39 was acquired in 1990 and the site allotted in 2002. After the allotment of shops, the Sector 26 market will be denotified.
