Businessmen demand MLU areas as industrial zones, to protest on May 3

Ludhiana: City businessmen are furious over Punjab government’s silence on the issue of Master plan-2023 and as a result of no response received from the government till now on their demand for declaring mix land use (MLU) areas as industrial, they have once again decided to sit on protest. Notably as per the Master plan-2023, factories located in MLU areas can not operate beyond September 2023 in these areas and they will have to shut down.Giving more information, Gurmeet Singh Kular, president of Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisations (FICO), said, “According to Master plan-2023, all departments related to industry like Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), and the municipal corporation (MC) have already cleared that they will not provide any statutory permissions to industry in MLU areas from September 18, 2023, onwards. After this date, the factories located in MLU areas will have no option except for shutting down their operations after this date.”Kular added, “It has been more than an year now since we have been continuously pleading before the state government to take notice of this critical issue and chalk out a solution for the survival of the industry, but regardless of everything the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led state government has failed to do anything because of which we are left with no other option but to carry out a series of protest against the government until we are heard. As part of this decision, our first protest will be on May 3 outside the office of District Industries Centre, Miller Ganj.”Avtar Singh Bhogal, a leading bicycle parts manufacturer and exporter, said, “More than 75% of the total bicycle & sewing machine industry of India operates from Ludhiana, out of which 90% units operate from MLU areas. These units have been working for the last 60-70 years with a majority of factories on the ground floor of the same building while home of the owners on the first floor. So, there is no question of any resident of the area being against running of factories in MLU areas. The government must wake up and take a timely action to help us before it is too late.”