Chandigarh shuts 40-year-old furniture market as UT reclaims 12 acres of land

The Chandigarh administration on Sunday carried out a major demolition drive, bringing down the 40-year-old furniture market in Sectors 53 and 54. The drive, which started early in the morning, aimed to reclaim 12 acres of government land that had been illegally occupied for decades. The land, valued at ₹400 crore, will now be used for planned residential development as part of the expansion of Sectors 53 and 54.

Peaceful demolition amid heavy security

The demolition operation began around 7 am, with bulldozers and large teams of officials arriving on site. The traders were initially given time to remove their goods before the structures were taken down. By 8:40 am, the drive was in full swing and continued until 1 pm, leaving behind a large amount of debris. The municipal corporation will now clear the rubble in the coming days.

To ensure that the demolition remained peaceful, a strong security presence was arranged. Nearly 1,200 police personnel and 200 officials from various departments, including the UT estate office, engineering department, and civil defence, were deployed. The operation was supervised by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Nishant Yadav and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kanwardeep Kaur. No incidents of violence were reported during the entire drive.

Land to be developed for housing projects

The reclaimed land has been handed over to the engineering department for future residential development projects. DC Nishant Yadav said that such steps are necessary to maintain Chandigarh’s planned layout and sustainable growth. He also appealed to residents to avoid encroaching on public land, stressing that the administration will continue to act against illegal occupations.

The demolition came as a big blow to the traders, many of whom had been running their shops at the market for years. “We have lost everything. We have nowhere else to go,” said Shakib Khan, one of the affected shopkeepers. With the demolition complete, several traders set up temporary stalls along nearby roads to sell whatever goods they could salvage. This led to traffic congestion throughout the day.

Many shopkeepers have now shifted their businesses to different markets in Mohali, but they claim that they are selling their goods at very low prices just to recover some losses.

The furniture market, which was established in 1985, had grown to include 116 makeshift shops over the years. Situated on an important road connecting Chandigarh and Mohali, the market often caused severe traffic jams due to disorganised parking and encroachments.

Efforts to remove the illegal market date back to the early 1990s, when the administration first tried to clear the land. In 1993, the traders managed to get a stay order from the Punjab and Haryana high court. Later, in 2002, the UT administration purchased a part of the land from Badheri village. However, when it attempted to reclaim the remaining land, the shopkeepers again went to court. This time, the high court dismissed their petitions in September 2023, ruling in favour of the administration.

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Eviction notices and delayed drives

After the court ruling, the administration moved forward with eviction plans. In June 2024, shopkeepers were issued notices asking them to vacate the land within a week. However, they appealed to the authorities, which led to the demolition drive being postponed temporarily.

On January 9, 2025, the UT estate officer issued a final eviction order, giving shopkeepers 15 days to vacate the premises. The order also made it clear that no alternative relocation site would be provided. The deadline expired on January 24, and a demolition drive was initially scheduled for January 28. However, it was again delayed before being executed on July 20.

This demolition is part of a larger campaign by the UT administration to reclaim encroached land across Chandigarh. In the past three months alone, 36 acres of land have been freed from illegal occupations in areas such as Adarsh Colony, Janta Colony, Sanjay Colony, and Shahpur Colony.

DC Nishant Yadav said the administration will continue to take strict action against unauthorised settlements and markets to preserve Chandigarh’s master plan and prevent haphazard urban growth.

What lies ahead for the reclaimed land

With the land now free, the UT engineering department will begin planning new residential sectors as extensions of Sectors 53 and 54. The move is expected to benefit the city’s housing needs while restoring the planned layout of Chandigarh. However, the sudden loss of livelihood for many traders has also sparked discussions about whether alternative spaces should have been considered.