Chandigarh: Notice issued to demolish furniture market in sector 53

Chandigarh: The land acquisition department has issued a notice to the furniture market in Sector 53, directing the shopkeepers to demolish their shops and vacate the government land within a week. In the notice to the shopkeepers, the department has clarified that the Chandigarh administration had acquired the land in 2002 and it is part of Badheri village. Despite efforts by the shopkeepers to obtain a stay order from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, all the petitions were disposed of in September 2023. The court’s decision upheld the administration’s right to reclaim the land, which has already compensated the original landowners. According to the notice, the shopkeepers have now been directed to demolish the illegal constructions on the government land and restore it to its original state by June 28. Failure to comply will lead to demolition action by the department, the cost of which will have to be borne by the shopkeepers themselves. Legal action will also be initiated against non-compliant shopkeepers. The administration stressed that all the shopkeepers were carrying out business by encroaching on government land and hence corrective action was necessary to restore legality and rightful ownership.