Ludhiana: 'We will protest if MLU areas not declared industrial'

LUDHIANA: Industrialists having factories in mix land use (MLU) area of Janta Nagar have objected to masterplan 2023. In a meeting conducted at the office of Janta Nagar Small Scale Manufacturers' Association (JSMA), businessmen have demanded that the MLU areas should be declared industrial in the new masterplan.
Jaswinder Singh Thukral, president of JSMA, said, "The masterplan 2023 is like a sword hanging on the neck of industrialists having units in MLU areas. Under the provisions of the masterplan, after September 2023 no factory will be allowed to function in any MLU area of Ludhiana. With less than an year remaining, our tension is increasing.
On Friday, we held a meeting with our association members and Tuesday too another meeting took place in which businessmen who have factories in MLU areas were present. After discussions, it has been decided to urge Punjab government to declare all the MLU areas as industrial with immediate effect because this is the only probable solution in sight"
Thukral also warned that if the state government does not accept their demand in two months, they will start a series of agitation. Meanwhile, Swinder Singh Hunjan, another businessman, said, "September 2023 is not even a year and the state government is not taking this issue seriously.
Thousands of factories will be destroyed in case the solution is not found to this problem, because only micro and small units exist in MLU areas and owners of these units do not have money to setup new units in approved industrial areas.
Therefore, it is our request to the Punjab government and the CM to declare all MLU areas as industrial to solve this problem."