Chandigarh, March 18 — The Sector 26 Sabzi Mandi Arhtiya Association will move the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the ongoing e-auction for shop allotment at the new mandi in Sector 39, citing violations of State Agriculture Marketing Board rules.
Association president Brij Mohan said the administration was conducting a “blind” auction under the Chandigarh Estate Rules, 2007, instead of following the marketing board’s regulations. “The land was originally acquired on a freehold basis, but it is now being leased, which is unfair to commission agents,” he said.
According to Mohan, the commission agents contribute revenue to the market committee, and the funds were used to purchase the Sector 39 land. “If the auction had followed marketing board rules, existing agents would have received shops on a no-profit-no-loss basis, and the units could have been given on freehold terms,” he added.
The agents plan to file their petition this week, seeking the auction’s cancellation under the estate rules. Anticipating the move, the UT Administration has already filed a caveat in the High Court.
The administration began the e-auction of 23 shops on March 3, marking the first phase of the mandi’s relocation to Sector 39. A total of 92 SCO sites will be auctioned in two phases, with the remaining units to be offered later. For the first time, the auction is open to the general public.
The Sector 26 mandi, currently spread over 24 acres, will move to the new 75-acre site in Sector 39, which was acquired in 1990 and designated for the mandi in 2002.
