UT won’t allot alternative site to furniture market traders

Shopkeepers of the furniture market in Sector 53 and 54 face eviction as the UT Administration has turned down their request for allotment of an alternative site.

According to an order issued by the Estate Officer, the demand of the shopkeepers was rejected as the land upon which they were running their business was acquired in 2002. A total 227.22 acres (114.43 acres of Kajheri village, 69.79 acres of Badheri village and 43 acres of Palsora village) was acquired for development of third phase of Sectors 53, 54 and 55 and original landowners had been awarded the compensation as well as the enhanced compensation.

Further, the persons illegally running business on government land are trespassers and hence they would have no right to seek preferential allotment of plots for running business.

Officials said that notices would be issued to the shopkeepers to vacate the land within 15 days. Nearly 15 acres of the land has been encroached upon by the shopkeepers in the market. On June 22, 2024, the Land Acquisition Department had issued a notice to the furniture market, directing the shopkeepers to demolish their shops and vacate the government land within a week.

In the notice served on the shopkeepers, the department had clarified that the land was acquired by the Chandigarh Administration in 2002. Despite efforts by the shopkeepers to seek stay order from the High Court, all petitions were disposed of. The court upheld the Administration’s right to reclaim the land, having already compensated the original landowners. As per the notice, the shopkeepers were instructed to dismantle the illegal structures and restore the land to its original state by June 28, last year.

In response to the notices, a delegation of the Furniture Market Association met the then Deputy Commissioner (DC) Vinay Pratap Singh on June 25. After hearing their grievances, the DC asked them to file their individual replies to the LAO before June 28, failing which demolition would be proceeded ex parte.

As many as 29 shops in the illegal furniture market in Sectors 53 and 54 were demolished on June 30, as these shopkeepers had failed to submit their replies to the Land Acquisition Officer (LAO). Of the total shopkeepers who had been served demolition notices, 116 had filed their replies to the LAO.

The official reiterated that the furniture market had been running illegally on the government land and the UT Administration was duty bound to get the encroachments removed.