The Grain Market, popularly known as ‘sector 26 ki sabzi mandi’, is finally being shifted from Sector 26 to Sector 39, Chandigarh.
The assent has been accorded by the UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit to auction the shops on a freehold basis at the new market.
To shift the present mandi from Sector 26 to Sector 39 about 75 acres of land was acquired about 32 years ago. Subsequently, the site was allotted for the second grain market in Sector 39 in the year 2003.
Now, about 100 SCO sites at the market will be up for auction. The existing shopowners of Sabzi Mandi of Sector-26 market will be given preference.
After the shifting of shops, the Sector 26 market will be de-notified in a phased manner. The entire Sabzi Mandi will be moved by April 2023.
The need to shift
Most buildings in Sector 26 mandi are no longer safe, cracks have developed in buildings
There is wild growth and rats have hollowed out the land below
Unhygeinic conditions due to poor cleanliness
No space for unloading of trucks which come from across the country
Faulty sewerage
Long history of shifting
Earlier, the construction work of the mandi had come to a halt in 2015 due to the non-availability of funds. In August 2015, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had to intervene and asked the administration to begin the functioning of the market. Responding to the court, the UT Administration assured that the market will become operational by March 31, 2016. However, it took another six years for it to finally see the shifting of the grain market.
