Chandigarh Municipal Corporation to rent out vacant booths

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, July 30

Having repeatedly tried its luck to dispose of its booths and shops on a leasehold basis, the local Municipal Corporation will now rent out the vacant properties, which have been lying in disuse for many years at the Sector 17/22 subway, Sector 39-D and Mauli Jagran.

A rent policy will be prepared and a sub-committee formed to asses the market cost and finalise the rates. The corporation may also inculde its other vacant properties in its rent policy. This was approved by the MC General House today. This excludes 40 booths under the new overbridge at Sector 17.

For these booths, the civic body has already started an e-auction process on a monthly rent. The MC House had earlier decided to auction these on a freehold basis, but did not get approval from the UT Administration. Now, the House has decided to rent these out.

“Our vacant properties are in a shambles. We have spent a huge amount on constructing these, but no policy was made to dispose of these. Now, these should be rented out,” councillor and former Mayor Asha Jaswal said in the House.

The Commissioner said in the next House meeting, the committee would table its report. It would asses the prevailing market rent and compile the report. All these years, the corporation has been spending on the maintenance of these booths as it has failed to find any takers for these. Buyers reportedly found the prices high and were also not in favour of leasehold property.