Uproar in Himachal Assembly over APMC shop allotments, BJP stages walkout

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly witnessed uproar on Wednesday over alleged irregularities in the allotment of shops under the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Shimla-Kinnaur. Dissatisfied with the government’s response during Question Hour, opposition members raised slogans and later staged a walkout.

The issue was raised by BJP legislators Sudhir Sharma, Randhir Sharma, and Balbir Verma, who alleged irregularities in the allotment of 70 shops in Parala, Shilaroo, and Tutu apple markets in Shimla district.

Advertisement

They demanded cancellation of all allotments, questioning why officials were shifted if no wrongdoing had taken place.

Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar, in his reply, stated that the allotments were made strictly in accordance with the 2021 policy notified by the Agriculture Marketing Board. He informed the House that 34 shops were allotted in Parala, 28 in Shilaroo, and 8 in Tutu, at rates ranging from Rs 150 to Rs 900 above the base price.

The minister acknowledged receiving two complaints. One, filed by Narkanda Agro Fresh Producer Ltd., was rejected as the applicant had failed to deposit the mandatory security of Rs 5 lakh. Another, by Rohit Kumar, was dismissed because the required category certificate was missing.

“Applications were rejected only due to lack of necessary documents, and not on arbitrary grounds,” Kumar said.

However, the opposition was not convinced. Randhir Sharma alleged that out of 133 applicants, 63 were deliberately rejected so that shops could be given to favoured parties. He demanded a judicial probe and cancellation of all allotments. He further pointed to the Parala CA store, built at a cost of Rs 67 crore, which has been leased out for Rs 3.36 crore annually, alleging irregularities in that as well.

Sudhir Sharma questioned whether any irregularities had been officially found and whether staff transfers were linked to the controversy. He pressed for an independent inquiry. Balbir Verma claimed that shops in Parala mandi had earlier been auctioned for Rs 60,000–80,000 but were now being allotted for Rs 5,000–6,000, demanding a vigilance probe into both the allotments and the CA store.

Rejecting the allegations, the minister said, “Raising voices in the House is no substitute for facts. If the opposition has concrete evidence, let them present it in writing. We are ready to have it investigated.” He reiterated that all decisions were made strictly as per the policy and no one had been found guilty of wrongdoing.

Unhappy with the reply, opposition members resorted to slogan shouting, disrupting the proceedings. They eventually walked out of the Assembly, demanding judicial and vigilance probes into the allotments.