Sector 26 market clean-up: Why action only after judicial intervention, HC asks Chandigarh administration

“The UT administration has risen from the stupor and has started cleaning up the area after intervention of this court. It would be appropriate to find out what further steps are taken by the UT administration,” Chief Justice Nagu recorded in the order, while keeping the PIL pending.

The bench directed the administration to file an additional affidavit detailing its long-term plan, including repair of dilapidated auction platforms, clearing and cleaning of streets meant for buyers, and addressing the parking problem. It also asked the UT to explain why municipal functions are carried out only when the court intervenes.

During the hearing, UT counsel Abhinav Sood and Mahima Dogra submitted that an anti-encroachment drive was carried out on August 20, removing illegal structures and unauthorised vendors occupying passages and platforms. They said the market is now supervised daily to prevent re-encroachment, and sanitation is conducted after the morning auction hours.

The counsel further informed the bench that entry and exit points have been designated, truck movement regulated, and parking spaces segregated for two-wheelers and four-wheelers. The administration also proposed open drains with GI pipes to deal with waste generated during early morning trading.

At this stage, counsel representing the Sector 26 vendors’ association argued that licensed vendors were being unfairly targeted and displaced, while unauthorised sellers continued to operate. He told the bench that members of the association had been carrying out business for decades, some under judicial protection, and were even willing to pay a daily market fee for upkeep. The dispute, he added, was already the subject of a pending second appeal.

However, the bench said photographs of cleared areas did not resolve core issues of infrastructure, buyer convenience, and parking. The matter has been adjourned to October 13, with directions to the administration to “prove its bona fides” through a detailed compliance affidavit.

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