Chandigarh, Aug. 29 -- The state agricultural marketing board, UT, has announced a fresh e-auction for 23 shop-cum-office (SCO) sites at the new grain, fruit and vegetable market in Sector 39, increasing the reserve price compared to last year. The total reserve price for all 23 sites has been fixed at Rs.122.08 crore. Each site now carries a reserve price of Rs.5.30 crore, up from Rs.3.70 crore during the previous auction held in March 2025-an increase of approximately Rs.1.61 crore per site, or 43.46%. The sites, numbered 24 to 46, will be allotted on a leasehold basis. Each plot measures 5.48 metres by 18.29 metres, translating to about 100.23 square metres (119.874 square yards). An earnest money deposit of Rs.10.61 lakh has been fixed per site, amounting to a total earnest money of around Rs.2.44 crore for all sites. Corner plots (site number 24 and 46) will attract an additional 5% charge. According to the board, the area mentioned is tentative and may vary at the time of possession. In the March 2025 e-auction, bids were received for 12 out of the 23 sites. However, the allotment process was stalled after the matter reached the Supreme Court. Following a court ruling in December 2025, the allocation to the 12 successful bidders was cleared. The fresh e-auction process will begin with the release of the advertisement on September 1 at 10 am. Interested bidders can submit documents and earnest money from 11 am on September 1 until 5 pm on September 22. Verification of documents will take place between September 25 and 26. The e-auction will be conducted from 10 am onSeptember 27 to 11 am onSeptember 29. Participation in the e-auction requires mandatory online registration through the eauction.gov.in portal under 'bidder enrolment'. The board has clarified that no physical applications will be accepted. A digital signature certificate is compulsory for document submission, and each bidder can register only one valid digital signature certificate. Incomplete applications will be rejected outright. To familiarise bidders with the process, two pre-bid seminars will be held on September 7 and 8 from 3 pm to 5 pm at the marketing board office. Detailed information regarding site location, layout, zoning and control regulations is available on the website of the urban planning department, along with the complete auction guidelines....