Maqsudan Mandi vendors protest 'illegal' parking charges, threaten stir

A day after vegetable vendors and arhtiyas at Maqsudan Mandi staged a protest against the government and the market committee over 'illegal' parking charges on Tuesday, tensions escalated further today during a meeting that ended in chaos and intimidation.

The meeting, called by Mandi Board officials and market committee chairman and secretary at their office to address vendor grievances before a memorandum was to be submitted to the DC for the Chief Minister jointly by vendors and arhityas, spiralled out of control when an argument broke out between arhtiyas and the contractor’s representatives.

In a shocking turn, bouncers allegedly deployed by the contractor barged into the market office and, in the presence of ACP North, SHO and other officials, allegedly threatened arhtiyas and declared they would continue charging inflated parking fees — whether allowed or not, informed arhtiya Mahinderjit Singh Shunty, saying that this is nothing less than open hooliganism.

He said, “Earlier, when the market committee managed parking, they allowed multiple entries since vehicles need to come in and out due to lack of a weighing point inside. Now, Narinder Singh & Company brought new clause that didn't allow multiple entries and hiked charges without any justification.”

Shunty revealed that the entry fee for a Bolero, which was Rs 50 for 24 hours, has been increased to Rs 130 — and is now valid for only 12 hours. Vendors are forced to pay again if a vehicle re-enters. For heavy vehicles like trucks and trolleys, the fee has jumped from Rs 150 to an outrageous Rs 600. “What profit is left for poor vegetable vendors when they're forced to pay such extortionate amounts just to do their daily business?” he asked.

He further said the vendor stalls which earlier cost Rs 100 per day and Rs 3,000 monthly, now cost Rs 400 per day and Rs 12,000 a month. "That’s not just unfair, it’s exploitation", he added.

Arhityas said since today's meeting also failed and no outcome has been achieved, they would write to the Chief Minister, Agriculture Minister, District Magistrate and other senior officials, demanding an immediate rollback of the illegal charges and action against the contractor.

"With no resolution in sight, vendors have warned of an indefinite strike if the exploitation continues. If the administration doesn’t act now, the entire distribution network will collapse, and the blame will lie squarely on the market committee,” said Mukesh Singh, a vegetable vendor at the mandi.

Meanwhile, contrary to the claims of arhtiyas and vendors, ACP-North Aatish Bhatia said the meeting ended on a positive note with the majority of issues resolved. He confirmed that the situation did escalate briefly due to heated exchanges between contractor representatives and arhtiyas, but added that police presence ensured things were brought under control immediately.

He stated that the parking rates being charged are in line with the mandate of the market committee and dismissed allegations of overcharging as rumours. “The contractor observed that the same stall is managed by one vendor in the morning and another in the evening. Accordingly, fees were collected from both, which was then misinterpreted as overcharging,” he explained.

Regarding the issue of multiple entries, Bhatia clarified that the clause has always existed under Mandi Board guidelines but was previously not enforced. “The contractor has only implemented the existing clause,” he said. To address such concerns in the future, he added that a new committee comprising representatives of vendors, arhtiyas and the market committee will be formed to escalate issues with the higher authorities for resolution.

Market Committee secretary Rupinder Singh was unavailable for comment as his phone remained switched off.