The Indian Express              28.01.2014

Now MC will give NoC for industries working in ‘mixed land use’ areas

Finally, the long-pending demand of industrialists has been fulfilled after the Municipal Corporation agreed to give no objection certificate (NoC) to the red category (polluting) units working in mixed land use areas.

This NoC will be applicable till 2018 as according to the Master Plan of Ludhiana which was formed in 2008, the polluting industry was supposed to shift out of Ludhiana after 10 years.

However for the past one year, the pollution board was not renewing the consent form of the red category units, saying the units first need to bring NoC from the MC. However, this will be applicable for the units which were formed before 2008.

However, at a Thursday meeting with MC Commissioner Rahul Tewari, this hitch was cleared, said Upkar Singh, general secretary of Chamber Of Industrial And Commercial Undertakings (CICU).

“Commissioner told us that  any such unit which has paid property tax, water and sewer bills are fully paid can get NoC from MC till 2018 by giving self-attested declaration on the letter head of the industrial unit saying that the unit was formed before 2008.”

He said that already 293 units had applied with PPCB for renewal of their consent form working in mixed land use areas and hence they could get the same after getting NoC from MC as a special help desk had started functioning from Friday onwards at Zone C in the Municipal Corporation.

In addition to this, the CICU members urged the industrialists to apply with PPCB for consent to operate till February 7 as voluntary disclosure scheme of PPCB was on till February 7 and under this scheme, the board will take charges to operate from

October 1, 2010 onwards and if applied later, charges will be applicable from the date the unit came into existence.

The industries working in mixed land use areas such as Shimplapuri, New Janta Nagar and Jammu Colony would be benefited due to this move, said the CICU members.