After two chaotic concerts in Sector 34, Chandigarh admn plans venue change for AP Dhillon show

Following a flurry of complaints from residents and traders about widespread traffic chaos, noise pollution and business disruptions during the recent live concerts of Punjabi singers Karan Aujla and Diljit Dosanjh on December 7 and December 14, respectively, the UT administration is considering shifting the venue for singer AP Dhillon’s upcoming concert.

Originally planned at the same venue — Sector 34 exhibition ground — the administration will now urge organisers to move the event, scheduled on December 21, to the Sector 25 ground, a much larger and less congested space.

Chandigarh deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said, “After receiving complaints and requests from various people, we intend to change the venue for AP Dhillon’s show to the Sector 25 ground. Though the organisers already have all permissions to hold the event at Sector 34, we will urge them for venue change. Even if they don’t agree, we have planned not to hold any such events in Sector 34 in future.”

Traders allege losses during Diljit’s concert

A day after Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh’s concert in Chandigarh, city traders complained of significant disruption to business in the area. For the concert, held in Sector 34, police had imposed traffic restrictions on all surrounding roads, not allowing any customers or delivery vehicles in.

Harjit Singh, general secretary of the furniture market in Sector 34 and vice-president of Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM), expressed frustration over the mismanagement. He said, “The administration had declared that roads of Sector 34 would be closed for traffic at 4.30 pm, but the police sealed the entire sector at 1.30 pm. This severely affected our planned deliveries. Vehicles meant for loading and unloading furniture were not allowed to enter, which prevented shops from delivering furniture to pre-booked customers. Due to the huge crowd and vehicular restrictions, we were forced to shut our shops in the afternoon. The sales of every shop in the furniture market took a significant hit.”

Charanjiv Singh, president of CBM, echoed similar concerns and called for a change in venue for such large-scale events. He stated, “We have been repeatedly urging the administration to shift such events to locations on the city’s outskirts so that traders’ businesses do not suffer. Shops remained shut all day, and sales were badly affected.”

Harinder Singh, owner of Sham Mall in Sector 34, also expressed disappointment, describing the situation as avoidable chaos that led to a complete loss of business for the day.