TNR News Network
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh Assembly witnessed uproar on Wednesday (August 27, 2025) as the issue of shop allotments in Parala, Shilaroo and Tutu mandis in Shimla district triggered a heated exchange between the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP.
BJP legislators alleged nepotism and favouritism in the process, eventually walking out of the House in protest after expressing dissatisfaction with the minister’s reply.
The matter was raised through a question by BJP MLAs Sudhir Sharma and Randhir Sharma, who alleged that large-scale irregularities had marred the allotment of shops. Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar, however, dismissed the allegations, terming them “baseless” and urged the Opposition to present evidence of corruption in the Assembly. His response led to chaos in the House, with the Opposition insisting on an inquiry.
Randhir Sharma alleged that in the three markets, 133 applications were received for 70 shops, but 63 were rejected to favour chosen beneficiaries, allowing them to acquire shops at throwaway prices. He further alleged that a controlled atmosphere (CA) store built at Parala with an investment of over Rs 67 crore for the benefit of farmers was handed over to private hands for just Rs 3.36 crore without a proper tendering process.
BJP MLA Balbir Verma alleged that while shop allotments were made nearly a decade ago for Rs 80,000, new allotments were now being done at just Rs 5,000, clearly pointing to bias. He also highlighted that several officials were transferred following the controversy, including the Managing Director of the Marketing Board and the APMC Secretary.
Outside the Assembly, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur accused the government of attempting to cover up corruption instead of answering questions in a transparent manner. He alleged that the allotments were carried out in violation of rules and that the government’s “favourites” were the primary beneficiaries. The BJP has demanded cancellation of the allotments and a probe into the alleged scam.
Meanwhile, the Assembly is also set to discuss the grim situation in Chamba district, where three days of incessant rainfall has caused widespread devastation. Roads remain blocked in most parts of the district, while mobile connectivity has been severely disrupted, making it difficult to assess the full scale of the damage. MLAs Neeraj Nayar, Hans Raj and DS Thakur have submitted a calling attention motion on the issue.
