Motor market owners await rehabilitation in Solan

Ambika Sharma

More than a year after being dislocated, owing to the acquisition of their shops at Chambaghat for four-laning, the motor market owners are still awaiting their rehabilitation in Solan. Though a Transport Nagar project was conceived in 2010 at Kather and it was decided to raise pre-fabricated structures after much deliberations last year, the project has failed to see the light of day. 

In the absence of any rehabilitation policy, these motor mechanics have been left in the lurch now.  “As many as 70-80 motor mechanic shops were dismantled in the four-laning work which started in 2015. The major sufferers were mechanics working in these shops as they failed to get employment elsewhere. Since the proposed Transport Nagar could not come up, a majority of these shops have failed to be set up again,” said Dheeraj Sood, president, Maa Durga Society comprising motor mechanic shops. He said many mechanics were forced to relocate to other places due to loss of employment. The issue of rehabilitation was taken up with the district administration in 2014 soon after the receipt of the first notice from the land acquisition officer, but it has not helped in providing any alternative solution.

Notably, the foundation stone of the Transport Nagar project worth Rs 20 crore was laid by the CM in April last year and its construction was supposed to begin soon. The project has, however, failed to make any headway.

The administrative approval to the project was accorded by the government before the foundation stone-laying ceremony. It has, however, seen several twists since then and members of the Maa Durga Society comprising motor mechanic shop owners, who are stakeholders, had initially agreed to pool in Rs 5 crore. The government gave nod for this project on the basis of this commitment.

As per the proposal, the Urban Development Department was supposed to bear the remaining expenditure, but later both department as well as society members refused, as the members felt there was no rationale behind being mere lease holders or tenants even after pooling in Rs 5 crore.

A proposal to fund the project on a built-operate-transfer-basis was also mooted unsuccessfully. It was supposed to house 135 showrooms and 140 workshops on 15,417 sq m area at Kather village. Though the administration was serious in addressing the concern, the project has been caught in a limbo due to lack of funds.