September deadline: Hundreds of small Ludhiana units ask government to help them migrate.

Ludhiana: While the Public Action Committee (PAC) has urged the state government not to grant any further extension to industrial units operating in mixed land use areas beyond the September deadline, clouds of uncertainty and anxiety loom over hundreds of such small areas of Ludhiana, as they seek government support to help them migrate.The industry in these areas had earlier been given an extension of nearly three years to continue operations, but with the current deadline fast approaching, small factory owners say anxiety is mounting. Many of these units function in compact spaces ranging between 100 to 200 square yards and are spread across nearly 72 mohallas in the city.In 2007, the area was declared as a mixed land, and extensions of mixed land use were made in 2017, 2021, 2023.Industry experts have been saying that the government must facilitate the migration of the industry with incentives including low interest rate loans, schemes like RAMP, etc. It would provide them growth prospects, leading to better revenue for the government as well. Since this area is in the central part of the district, migration of the industry would also improve the land rates for residents, another industrialist said. Unit owners say repeated temporary extensions have only prolonged uncertainty and hampered long-term planning. "Where would we go? These are hundreds of small industries in 72 mohallas. We have long been demanding that the government give us some space where the industry can migrate to. We have been making such requests ever since the issue of mixed land use was brought up," said Gurmukh Singh Rupal, Head of the Sewing Machine Division of the Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisations (FICO).Rupal, who runs a unit in one of the localities near Gill Road where small-scale manufacturing units line both sides of the stretch, said that most of the units fall under the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) category. "When the land for Cycle Valley was carved out, we were hopeful that the government would provide land to small units like ours. Unfortunately, the land has been allotted to big corporations at nominal rates, whereas the industries that have been operating from the beginnings of industry in Ludhiana have been left in the lurch. Now the government must provide us land so we can migrate there," he said.