Haryana slashes market fee on apple crop

Chandigarh, Sep 11 (UNI) The Haryana government has reduced the market fee on apple crop from two per cent to one per cent to allure the apple growers and dealers of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir to sell and store their crop at the upcoming apple mandi at Panchkula.

This was announced by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda after laying the foundation stone of apple market, retail section of vegetable market and flower market in sector 20 of Panchkula, near here today. The project would cost about Rs 25 crore.

He said at present the apple crop from Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir was unloaded and rehandled in the grain market of Chandigarh, which was very congested and having insufficient space for the arrival of apple crop.

The setting of apple market at Panchkula would felicitate the apple growers of these two states for sale and storage of apple besides reducing the congestion of market in Chandigarh.

The Chief Minister said the apple market in Panchkula would be developed in an area of 3.13 acres. The first floor would have the shops while the cold storage would be at ground floor.

He said that the vegetable market would be developed over a covered area of about 25,000 square metres. It would have multi storeyed complex with latest facilities, shops of different sizes, four elevators and two escalators. Parking facility would be provided at the basement.

Similarly, the flower market which would be developed in a double-storeyed complex would have air conditioned shops besides auction facilities.

Mr Hooda said that facilities of cold storage and pack house in the vegetable market would be set up at a cost of about Rs 2.50 crore. Additional facilities such as restaurants, food courts, public health and welfare centre would also be provided in the mandi.

UNI