Ludhiana, May 22 (KNN) Industrial units in Ludhiana are staging protest demanding that all mixed land use areas be declared industrial before the expiry of the deadline to move industrial units operating in mixed land use areas of the city.

Recently, they also organised a chain hunger strike. The issue has become a bone of contention between industrialists and the state government, reported TOI.

The deadline to move out of such areas is September, 2023 but there is no clarity on whether the government will give any relief to help such units continue operations.

Despite stringent provisions of the Master Plan, 2023, which bars industrial operations in residential areas, such units have managed to stay afloat after availing temporary relief at various points of time over the past 15 years or so.

The root cause of the problem is the master plan prepared by the Punjab Regional Town Planning and Development Board, as per industrialists, whereby even areas otherwise dotted with industrial units have been declared either exclusively residential or MLUs.

“In 2007, serious mistakes were made during the formulation of master plan of Ludhiana. More than 72 mohallas in Atam Nagar and Ludhiana South constituency were either declared mix land use or residential. Same was done in the case of mohallas located in other parts of the city like Shiv Puri, Kali Sadak etc. This despite the fact that industrial units are operational in around 80% area of all these localities,” Jaswinder Singh Thukral told TOI.  (KNN Bureau)