We have our roots here: Sector 53 wood masters stare at broken future

Time of India

19-07-2025

Chandigarh: The outward bustle at the Furniture Market in Sector 53 has a heavy undertone. Customers walked amid the stacks of furniture as usual on Friday but the shopkeepers displaying their wares seemed preoccupied, their practised smiles looking more like a grimace.
The market has been around for decades now and most of the furniture traders are second and even third generation businessmen. Their fathers and grandfathers set up base here when Chandigarh was still being developed. The location turned out to be fortuitous and the small-time labourers who came here for a fresh start received customers from all over Punjab. Those who man these shops now are solely dependent on the businesses set up by their fathers.
Most are well into their 40s and 50s, with no idea what they would do if not this.
Some, like Narinder Singh, are old-timers. Originally from Hisar, the sprightly and soft-spoken 66-year-old came to Chandigarh from Hisar in search of a better life. He learned carpentry and in 1993-94, decided to set up shop in the furniture market, which, according to the administration, was opened on encroached land. It's a charge he is quick to refute.
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"We did not encroach on any land. This market was already here when the land was acquired," he asserted, his hand trembling slightly as he poured himself a cup of tea from a steaming kettle. According to Narinder, those who opened shops here paid rent to the original landowners of Badheri village and were "lessees".
"A lifetime has passed. If they evict us now, I don't know what we will do," he said, solemnly sipping his tea.
"Its not just the shopkeepers," said Bhupinder Singh, an elderly man sitting with Narinder. The resident of Sector 118, Mohali, supplies raw material for furniture making. His clientele is mostly from the Sector 53 market. "There are 116 shops here and on an average, 10 workers to each shop. Besides there are people like me, whose businesses are allied to theirs. What will become of us?" he wondered aloud.
The question drew a troubled sigh from Lovedeep Singh, 34, who owns the neighbouring shop which was opened by his grandfather in 1985.
"I joined the business at 19. This is my whole life," he said.
"It's not that the administration did not propose an alternative but we were told that an open auction would be held for slots at the bulk market. We don't want an open auction as it would leave the field open to bidders with more money and more resources than us. Where would that leave us?" he asked. He also pointed out that the shopkeepers here had GST numbers and paid taxes.
Market association president Saneev Bhandari said that the Chandigarh administration issued a notice about acquisition of the land for development of phase 3 of sectors 53, 54 and 55. The traders moved Punjab and Haryana high court and secured a stay on demolition in 1992. In 2024, the UT decided to offer them shops on leasehold basis in the bulk market. The shops were to be auctioned.
"We are willing to leave but we want the administration to keep its promise of rehabilitation and we want the entire market to be moved.
No one should be left behind. We want to survive together," he said, adding that they had been repeatedly meeting politicians and the UT administrator, seeking redress.
"What will we do if we are thrown out on the road? We took loans when we were assured of being rehabilitated. How will we repay the loans? At this stage, how will we survive," he said. The forlorn expression was quickly replaced by one of quiet confidence.
He gestured towards a picture of Goddess Durga on the shelf and said, "Mata rani dekh rahi hain, yehi karengi. Humne kuch galat nai kiya hai."
The market's troubled past
--In 1985, a few furniture shops began operating informally on the land
--Over the next 30 years, the area evolved into a thriving furniture market but lacked legal authorisation
--The land was officially acquired by the Chandigarh administration in 2002 and original landowners were compensated
--Present shopkeepers at the market maintain that they had been paying rent to the original landowners and were already there when the administration acquired the land
Legal action
--In September 2023, the Punjab and Haryana high court dismissed all petitions by shopkeepers, affirming UT's right to reclaim the land
What shopkeepers want
--Shopkeepers at the market say that they are willing to leave but want to be relocated to the new bulk market
--They say that they have been earning a livelihood here for a long time, with many shops being run by second and third generation descendants of the original settlers
--They maintain that they pay substantial GST and other taxes