High cost, leasehold tag ail shopping complex; over 100 units lying vacant

Sandeep Rana

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Chandigarh, November 10

One of the city’s biggest shopping centres came up at Vikas Nagar in Mauli Jagran way back in February 2014, but more than 100 built-up booths remain vacant eight years on.

Only four of the 112 booths constructed at the complex are in operation. Several auctions were held to dispose of the booths, but to no avail, as the authorities made little effort to alter the policies to make the project more lucrative and viable. Only one of the four auctions found takers. The authorities could manage to dispose of only four booths in the 2018 auction.

Amenities missing

• Stray cattle occupy corridors, leaving dung behind
• No working washroom or potable water facility
• Truckers, residents park vehicles on premises

The sites were offered on a leasehold basis for 99 years through an open auction. The reserve price had ranged between Rs 15.75 lakh and Rs 18.42 lakh for 11.49 sq m booths, depending upon the location. Owing to high market rates and leasehold status of the property, almost all built-up booths in this complex have remained vacant so far. Even those who had taken these on lease regret the decision, alleging official apathy and faulty policies.

Poor sales, not viable

A single booth, including GST, had cost Rs 24 lakh. We also pay Rs 59,000 as lease amount annually. It is proving to be a costly affair, as sales are low. —Anil Kumar, A booth owner

Freehold auction soon

An auction will soon be held to offer booths on a freehold basis. There is no point in building booths and leaving these vacant for years. —Manoj Kumar, Area councillor

“A single booth, including the GST, had cost nearly Rs 24 lakh. In addition, we are paying Rs 59,000 as lease amount every year. It is proving to be a costly affair, as the sales are nowhere near our expectations,” laments Anil Kumar, a booth owner.

Vishal Kumar, another booth owner, says: “There is little on ground in terms of basic amenities. Stray cattle occupy the corridors, leaving dung behind. There is no working washroom or facility for potable water. Apart from truckers, residents park vehicles on the shopping complex premises, leaving little space for shopkeepers and visitors.”

Area councillor Manoj Kumar says: “Such a big complex was never required for a small area like Vikas Nagar. It should have been constructed in another bigger part of Mauli Jagran.”