PSIEC plot owners in Ludhiana face dilemma as property rights remain elusive

Tribune News Service

Shivani Bhakoo

Ludhiana, April 12

Owners of Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation Limited (PSIEC) plots in the city, whose amnesty scheme deadline finished on March 31, are waiting for some positive decision by the government to get property titles transferred in their names.

Owners are in continuous dilemma as the respective governments in the state have still not come up with any solution and plots have not been transferred to their names despite making payments.

Plot holders maintain that they cannot change banks, get loans, expand and get files approved under the Invest Punjab schemes as properties are not in their names (in records).

Talking to The Tribune, Gurmit Singh Kular, who has a plot at the Focal Point, said, “The scheme was floated in 1996 when the price was Rs225 per square yard. Slowly, the price was hiked several times. Today, we have already paid Rs600 per square yard and the government is further asking to pay Rs1000 per square yard more. It is not possible for us. How can we pay such hefty amount?”

“We cannot leave premises as our units and infrastructure is all set up. We cannot continue further expansions as it’s not possible to get NOCs till plots are registered in our names,” rued Kular.

Plot holders hope that the new AAP government will come to their rescue and find some solution, which will be acceptable to all stakeholders.

They had also written to the government to look into the matter as land was provided to large industries at the rate of even Rs126 per square yard. The government had to construct bridges and link roads, but there was no development in their area, said plot owners.

“How can they expect us to pay more when the promised facilities are not provided to us,” said another plot holder.

Meanwhile, Gurpreet Bassi Gogi, the AAP MLA, said he had met industrialists recently and would take up the matter with the state government in Chandigarh. Hopefully, one time settlement policy would be formed, which should be acceptable to industrialists also, he added.

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