Indian Express 29.10.2010
No buyers, MC plans to rent out booths at AC fish market
Express News Service Tags : Municipal Corporation, chandigarh, AC Fish and Meat Market Posted: Fri Oct 29 2010, 03:32 hrs
Chandigarh: Realising its folly the Municipal Corporation would be mooting a proposal to rent the booths at the AC Fish and Meat Market, Sector 41. The proposal would be taken up for discussion in the Finance and Contract Committee of the Municipal Corporation.Once the proposal is discussed by the councillors and the officials it would be sent to the UT Finance Secretary for approval. The civic body has tried twice to auction the booths. However, owing to the high reserve price there were no takers for the same.
The AC Fish and Meat Market had been constructed in order to provide a place for those who were selling fish illegally in different sectors of the city. The aim was to rehabilitate vendors and provided residents with a hygienic place to buy fish and meat.
However, ranging between Rs 37.50 lakh to Rs 77.50 lakh the reserve price was one of the biggest deterrents. The booths were to be auctioned on leasehold basis for 99 years. As the auction scheduled for last month failed to find any takers, the civic body has decided to reconsider its decision of auctioning the booths.
The demand by the meat and fish sellers was that the booths be given on rent and then they could consider occupying these. The market had been handed over to the Municipal Corporation by the UT Administration more than a year back. At present due to the market being unoccupied the booths are being damaged and the civic body is spending money on its maintenance.
After the second auction flopped the councillors and officials opined that the system be changed. The civic body had recently reverted its decision to auction the kiosks at the Night Food Street after the auctions led to the prices of food items going high and the kiosks becoming difficult for the kiosk owners to maintain.
