CHANDIGARH, July 20— A major demolition drive was carried out on Sunday to clear the long-standing unauthorised furniture market in Sector 53, bringing down dozens of illegal structures that had existed for over four decades. The operation began around 9 a.m., delayed by two hours, and continued for several hours.
Authorities said shopkeepers were given adequate time to remove their inventory before the demolition began. “It will take a few more hours to remove all illegal structures,” an official supervising the drive said.
The land in question was acquired by the administration in 2002 as part of the city’s third-phase development plan. A total of 227.22 acres—comprising 114.43 acres from Kajheri village, 69.79 acres from Badheri, and 43 acres from Palsora—had been legally acquired, and compensation was paid to the original landowners.
However, nearly 15 acres were encroached upon by furniture traders who had been operating out of the makeshift market for decades.
On June 22 this year, the Land Acquisition Department issued a formal notice to the occupants, directing them to vacate the government land and demolish the structures voluntarily.
This is not the first action against the market. On June 30 last year, 29 shops were demolished in the same area. Sunday’s operation focused on clearing the remaining illegal shops.
To ensure smooth execution of the drive and prevent any law and order issues, nearly 1,000 police personnel were deployed in and around the area.
While the market had become a known destination for affordable furniture, it had long been under scrutiny for operating without legal sanction on government land earmarked for planned urban development.
