Govt sanctions Rs 2.81 cr to revive Industrial Estate in Gurdaspur

Tribune News Service

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, March 9

Industrialists of the district have got a much needed fillip with the Punjab Government providing adequate funding to revive the now defunct industrial area near ITI (boys) on the Gurdaspur-Pathankot road.

On February 25, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann held a “Milni” with businessmen in Dinanagar. An industrialist, Ravi Khanna, apprised the CM of the pathetic conditions in the Industrial Estate located near the ITI (Boys) on the Gurdaspur-Pathankot road.

The CM asked Raman Bahl, senior AAP leader and halqa in-charge of the Gurdaspur Assembly seat, to act as the nodal officer.

In 1972, the Punjab Government had come out with a policy to provide land and facilities at subsidised rates in areas designated as Industrial Estates. In Gurdaspur, land for an Industrial Estate was allocated, but for the next 50 years it remained deprived of even basic facilities.

Some industrialists had set up their establishments with a hope that facilities related to electricity supply, sewerage, water supply, roads, street lights and horticulture would soon be provided.

“After all, the government is duty bound to provide facilities. However, nothing tangible happened following which we were caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. On one hand we invested a lot of money while on the other hand even basic facilities were not provided,” a businessman said.

The “nightmare of industrialists” prompted them to tell their tale of woes to the CM.

“Earlier, an electricity supply line was provided by the erstwhile PSEB. However, people living nearby started drawing power from this line. The quality of power we used to get was very poor. Voltage fluctuations were a common thing. We approached several politicians, but always hit a dead end,” said Ravi Khanna.

Things were fast-tracked after the CM put Raman Bahl on the job.

Yesterday turned out to be a red-letter day for the beleaguered industrial lobby. Bahl handed over a bank draft of Rs 94 lakh to the PSPCL. The power entity will provide a dedicated cable for the industry.

“Nobody else, except industrialists, can draw power from it,” said a PSPCL official. “An amount of Rs 1.87 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of roads, installation of street lights and laying sewer and water supply pipes. The entire landscape of the industrial area will change once the facilities are made available for industrialists within the next six months,” said Bahl.

Meanwhile, the hotel lobby has requested the CM to impose industrial power tariff on their establishments in place of the commercial tariff. Romesh Mahajan, a hotelier, said, “The Punjab Government notified hotels as industrial units vide its notification dated May 5, 2003. However, despite this, we are being forced to pay electricity bills on commercial rates which are on the higher side as compared to industrial tariffs.”

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