Retail traders of Chandigarh Industrial Area-2 on strike
Multi-storey showrooms, retail shops growing in Chd Indl Area-II
cityairnews
Feb 14, 2022 05:37
0
Chandigarh, February 14, 2022: While rules are strictly enforced in Chandigarh and even a small change is not allowed in the buildings without permission, a full-fledged electronics market has come up in Industrial Area Phase-II, where more than 500 retail shops do brisk business without any check. The menace of encroachment is also visible outside the shops where passing through the road is a task. However, it is illegal to open any kind of retail shop in the industrial area other than industrial units, an entire market is buzzing with activity having multi-storey showrooms as well. The traders are on strike these days.
In the Electronics and Furniture Market of Industrial Area Phase 2, when a survey of alleged violation of building bylaws was started by the Estate Office on Wednesday, the shopkeepers protested the investigation, closing the entire market and sat on an indefinite hunger strike. On Saturday, due to the holiday of government offices, shops reopened.
It is noteworthy that recently an SDO and a junior engineer of UT Estate Office were suspended for ignoring illegal construction in Sector 7 and 26. However, multi-storey showrooms in the retail market of the industrial area are allowed. The reality is that showrooms are lying vacant in the main city, but new showrooms are opening in the industrial area.
Deepak Sharma of Vyapari Ekta Manch said that “we want to get our market legally approved.” Manch member and BJP leader Avi Bhasin said that “the policy was not changed for plots smaller than two kanal, while with the passage of time we changed our business.” Another representative of the agitating traders said that “if the administration does not allow us to work, we will have to migrate from here. We have been doing business here for past 25 years and now we are not in a position to start a new business.” The leaders of the Manch themselves accepted the fact that the Indl Area-II market is operating without proper permission and they are afraid of action all the time.
