Chandigarh, March 15 -- A surprise inspection at the vegetable market in Sector 26 by Punjab governor-cum-UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria found sanitation lapses leading to stringent action against several of its employees on Saturday. An explanation has also been sought from the secretary, market committee, Chandigarh, regarding discrepancies observed during the inspection. As part of the action taken, two employees of the Chandigarh Market Committee were suspended, an outsourced sanitation worker was terminated and a private firm was fined Rs.50,000 after sanitation lapses were noticed during the surprise inspection at the Sector-26 grain, fruit and vegetable market by Kataria. Following the inspection, the secretary, agriculture, directed the market committee administrator to initiate action against employees responsible for sanitation work at the mandi. The services of Harvinder Kumar, an outsourced sanitation inspector responsible for sanitation work at the Sector-26 mandi, were terminated. Raj Kumar, an auction recorder, and Madan Lal, employees of the Market Committee, were placed under suspension. The administration also imposed a penalty of Rs.50,000 on M/s Daksh Detective and Security Services Private Limited and issued the firm a show-cause notice asking why its sanitation tender should not be cancelled for failing to maintain cleanliness at the mandi as required under the service level agreement. Show-cause notices were also issued to Gurminder Singh, mandi supervisor; Karambir Singh, auction recorder; and Dheeraj Kumar, kandaman, for failing to supervise sanitation work at the market. In 2025, the Punjab and Haryana HC had taken suo motu note and questioned the Chandigarh administration over inaction on poor state of cleanliness at sector-26 Mandi and asked why civic authorities act only when they are faced with judicial orders. Majority of the operations of the market is being shifted to Sector-39 grain market in April this year. Once the shops in Sector 39 are allotted, the Sector-26 grain market will be de-notified in phases, marking the end of an era for one of the city's oldest wholesale markets. The UT has sold 12 out of 23 fruit and vegetable shops in Sector 39....