34 bids for 16 SCOs of Sec 39 mandi

The e-auction for allotment of shop-cum-office (SCO) sites at the new mandi in Sector 39 started today. The UT Agricultural Marketing Board has received 34 technical bids for 16 SCOs, out of a total of 23 sites.

The auction will conclude on March 31. After the delay of nearly two decades, the UT Administration had started the process of the e-auction of 23 SCOs at the new mandi from March 3, as part of the relocation of the Sector 26 grain market. For the first time, the auction is open to the general public as well.

Each shop, measuring 120 square yards, has a reserve price of ?3.70 crore. Unlike the previous system, where shops were sold on a freehold basis, these will be allotted on a leasehold basis for 99 years.

In the first phase, 23 out of the proposed 92 SCO sites will be auctioned. The existing commission agents have demanded sites on a freehold basis.

The remaining sites 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, and is aimed at catering to the growing demands of the tricity.