After making huge investments in periphery areas of Ludhiana, industries fail to get NOCs
Shivani Bhakoo
Ludhiana, July 14
Thousands of businessmen in Ludhiana are not getting NOCs for setting up industries in periphery areas, which were declared as industrial zones when the master plan came in 2011. Even with green stamp papers, out of 65 applications filed, only 23 got approval, reveals an RTI.
CM urged to look into matter
Businessmen have written to the Chief Minister to look into the matter and save the industry as they have already invested crores of rupees on buying land to set up industries in periphery areas which were declared as industrial zones when the master plan came in 2011.
Initially, the government had issued NOCs to some plot holders but after 2018, the industrialists were not given NOCs as their plots were not attached to access roads.
President, All Industries Trade Forum, Badish Jindal, said amid claims of success of the state government’s Invest Punjab, the condition of industrialists had become miserable. The Chief Town Planner of Punjab had declared over 1 lakh acres of land as industrial area in the master plan of Ludhiana. After the industrial area was declared in the master plan, Over 10,000 industrialists bought land in these areas to set up industries but GLADA and the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, refused to give NOCs to these businessmen only because their land was not attached to required 22 feet government road.
“There are many things involved in it. Firstly, why did the government declare it an industrial area if NOCs were not to be given. Secondly, right at the time of the registration of the plot, the government should refuse registration so that lakhs of rupees of an industrialist are not wasted in purchasing the plot. When a few plot holders, in their mutual agreement, are ready to come up with their own wide roads, why is that not agreeable to the government? Where should the industry go with their registries when there are no NOCs? asked Jindal.
The industry has written a letter to the Chief Minister to look into the matter as in around 15 km of the periphery area of Ludhiana, there is an industrial zone, where new units can be constructed. But when NOCs are not given, industry feels helpless.
On the other hand, the government is asking industries to move from mixed land use (MLU) areas also but the government will have to answer where would the industry go when you are not providing them proper chunk of land, asked industrialists.
The government started the Green Stamp Paper Scheme for industries in May last year to provide relief to the industries but according to information received through an RTI, only 23 applicants could get the land registered in a year. As many as 23 applications were directly rejected, two applicants withdrew their applications and the remaining 17 applications are still stuck in departments. It was the scheme in which the Chief Minister was directly involved and crores of rupees were spent on its promotion, Jindal said.
Another industrialist Anil Gupta pointed out that he had a huge plot in Tibba but he was not able to start with anything as NOC was not given to him. “At the time of the registry, the government should have rejected the same if NOCs were not permissible without the adjacent government road,” rued Gupta.
The businessmen have written to the Chief Minister to look into the matter and save the industry as they have already invested crores of rupees on buying land to set up industries in these areas.
Meanwhile, Mukesh Chaddha, ATP, said at present he was not the right person to comment on the matter. At the same time, he said, access road should be connected to every plot. But when asked that the government would have refused the registries and conveyed to the industrialists not to buy plots as roads were not there, he said the industry could take up the matter with the government.
