Sidhu flays move to sell market to devp authority

The Punjab Mandi Board’s decision to sell the ultra-modern vegetable and fruit market spread over 12 acres in Phase 11, Mohali, to Punjab Urban Planning & Development Authority (PUDA) has evoked strong reactions.

Terming the move “absurd and a betrayal of people”, Congress leader and former Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu asserted that the party will oppose the move at every level. He said shops in the market were auctioned just last year and the businessmen have already begun operations. He pointed out that the Mandi Board now intends to refund the shopkeepers’ money with 6 per cent interest and transfer the entire property to PUDA. If implemented, he said, the move would severely impact the businesses.

He said the move also violates the Land Acquisition Act, which mandates that land not used for its originally intended project must be returned to the original owners.