Old wine in new bottle

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 20

Announcing the cycle valley project and an exhibition-cum-convention centre on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model is just like serving old wine in a new bottle. Both these announcements had already been made by the previous government. In fact, foundation of the cycle valley was laid in November last year.

Badish Jindal, president of the Federation of Punjab Small Industries Association (FOPSIA), said both these projects were already announced by the previous government.

“Former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had laid the foundation stone of the hi-tech cycle valley project in November 2016 at Dhanansu village. At the same function, he had also announced the setting up of an exhibition-cum-convention centre for the industry. All these announcements are being made for the past 10 years, but nothing concrete has been done to turn them into a reality,” said Jindal.

Vinod Thapar, chairman of Knitwear Club, said: “Setting up of an exhibition centre has been a long-pending demand of the industry. Announcements are made by every government, but nothing is done to turn them into a reality. The previous government also announced the setting up of an exhibition-cum-convention centre, but it remained only on paper”.

The land has already been acquired from the panchayat for this project and even cheques have been given to the panchayat. The work is already on for this project and now the present government is declaring it in the Budget, said Thapar.

“In the Budget it has been announced that the exhibition centre will be set up on the PPP model. The industry is already running in losses and does not have money to contribute. If the government really wants to help the industry, it should set up the exhibition centre without getting funds from the industry. Every year, we face a lot of difficulty in holding buyer-seller meet and the solution to the same is needed at the earliest,” said Thapar.

Rajinder Gulati, a local cycle parts manufacture, said much hype had been created around the cycle valley project for the past several years, but nothing had done to make it a reality.

“The cycle valley project is another name given to the focal point and was expected to attract new industries not only from India but also from abroad. Now, the reality is that even the industry has lost interest in this project because they know it is just an idea that fails to conceptualise,” said Gulati.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had laid the foundation stone of the hi-tech cycle valley project in November 2016 at Dhanansu village. At the same function, he had also announced the setting up of an exhibition-cum-convention centre for the industry. All these announcements are being made for the past 10 years, but nothing concrete has been done to turn them into a reality. — Badish Jindal, president, Federation of Punjab Small Industries Assn

Setting up of an exhibition centre has been a long-pending demand of the industry. Announcements are made by every government, but nothing is done to turn it into a reality. The previous government also announced the setting up of an exhibition-cum-convention centre, but it remained only on paper. — Vinod Thapar, chairman of Knitwear Club