Reserved price, collector rates: Traders of Sec 26 grain market raise concerns

Sanjay Gupta, vice president of the Grain Market Welfare Association, Sector 26, said, “If the administration wants to succeed, it should give preference to existing traders. We welcome the decision to shift the market from Sector 26, which has been a congested area. But we need trader-friendly reserved prices for the auction of sites in the new market. The administration either decides the control rates or sell the sites to the traders on the collector rates”.

The Sector 26 grain market has around 150 showrooms and around 100 booths allotted to commission agents, traders, etc.

The Sector 39 market is spread over 75 acres, unlike the Sector 26 market, which is only 25 acres with no scope of further extension. A senior Chandigarh Marketing Board officer said, “Traders’ concerns will be protected at all costs. Auction of SCOs and allotment of SCOs are different subjects. A file related to the matter of allotment under the the Punjab Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1961 is pending with the MHA”.

The administration had acquired 75 acres in Sector 39 in 1990 and earmarked the land for the vegetable market in 2002 to de-congest the Sector 26 grain market. The construction work was stopped in 2015 due to shortage of funds. In 2015, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had instructed the UT Administration to get the market functional. In response, the administration had assured the court that the market would be operational by March 31, 2016, but for six years, the matter continued to be delayed.

Small-time vendors also worried

Fruit/vegetable vendors selling items on rehris near the market said they are worried about their future. Ram Yadav, a vendor said, “Sector 26 is the central point which attracts thousands of customers. The new site at Sector 39 is far away and in the outer area. Our small trade will definitely hurt due to this”.

Sec 26 grain market origins

The grain market at Sector 26 has been operational since 1960. The market was being operated in Bijwara Market in Sector 22. Four years ago, the Sector 26 market was the biggest apple market in Asia. In 2017-18, the apple trade shifted to Sector 20, Panchkula. At least 550 trucks are loaded and unloaded every day at the market and double the number come and go every two days at the nearby transport area in Sector 26. The Sector 26 grain market has been quite influential politically as well, with wealthy traders having a stake in governance of the city, often influencing city-based policies.

A senior Chandigarh Marketing Board officer said, “The shifting will also ease the traffic flow on Madhya Marg specifically between Housing Board light point to the grain market. The trucks will come to Sector 39 through Vikas Marg, which is lies in outer Chandigarh”.