Mohali Municipal Council senior vice-president Harman Preet Singh Prince handed over the keys of the 130 booths to their owners at a special function held at the market.

In the presence of officials of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), Prince announced that the remaining 239 concrete booths will be constructed soon while nine cases in which people are claiming more than one booth in a single family, will also be considered as per the directives issued by the CM.

The allotment of the GMADA-constructed booths comes after Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had ordered the allotment of concrete booths to those who had lost their illegal kutcha kiosks in the fire that engulfed the market on June 1, 2007.

GMADA has earmarked a site behind the petrol pump in Phase 3-A to accommodate the owners of the remaining 239 kiosks for running their businesses till the time their booths are built in Phase 3B1.

As per the GMADA decision, the allottees deposited 25 per cent of the total Rs 3.42 lakh cost of each booth while the remaining amount was to be deposited in five equated yearly instalments.

On September 24, the GMADA had allotted 369 booths through a draw of lots according to eligibility established during a survey conducted in 1998. Since then, the allottees were awaiting possession of booths as the GMADA had not finalised the rates for the booths.