Market Committee prepares Sector 26 mandi revamp plan

Gates will be installed at the Sector 26 mandi to regulate the entry-exit points and stop unauthorised vendors from operating in the area. A process to remove all such vendors has been started. Besides, barricades will be set up on the mandi premises to prevent unauthorised parking.

These are some of the initiatives the Market Committee will take to spruce up the mandi. The plan to decongest the mandi and the make it free from vendors and garbage has been prepared after the Punjab and Haryana High Court took cognisance of the sanitation and encroachment issues at the Grain, Fruit & Vegetable Market, Sector 26, following a news report titled “Muddy roads, heaps of rotten vegetables raise a stink at Sector 26 mandi” published in Chandigarh Tribune on July 24.

Sources said a major demolition drive against illegal vendors would be carried out on August 20. An order in this regard has been passed by District Magistrate Nishant Kumar Yadav, who is also the Deputy Commissioner of the UT. The DC has assigned duties to officials for the demolition drive.

To raise public awareness about the importance of maintaining cleanliness, the Market Committee has installed 25 flex boards at prominent locations in the mandi. These flex boards feature clear and impactful messages urging people to refrain from littering and actively contribute towards keeping the mandi clean by using dustbins.

The Market Committee has installed 30 dustbins in the mandi to address the issues of accumulation and improper disposal of waste. On a daily basis, about 20 to 25 metric tonnes of garbage was lifted from the mandi.

The UT has already notified the bylaws for removal of encroachment and preventing littering in the Sector 26 mandi.